The Dark Avenger's Second Coming
by LucianGrimoire
Summary: Sasuke never once thought that the afterlife, for him at least, would entail anything other than torturous retribution for his deeds in life. Little did he know, death brings with it far more than one might think... WARNING: SASUKE ACTS OUT OF CHARACTER UNTIL CHP 5, THIS IS KNOWN AND IS INTENTIONAL.
1. At the Fall

**Adding a quick AN to warn people that regardless of how this would have actually gone, please take the time to read past this chapter. The story's quality increases with each new chapter, and I don't want any readers to drop this story because of a bad first impression. That being said, enjoy!**

Chapter 1: At the Fall

Sasuke Uchiha was usually a very cautious person. Never was he one to

charge in without some form of plan B. And, to his credit, that way of thinking had saved his life in the past. However, he had also learned that the Ghost of the Uchiha Clan, Madara Uchiha, was someone who made his own intellect seem like that of a child. Or Naruto.

It was honestly a very humbling

experience, witnessing an Uchiha who had achieved such mastery of the Shinobi Arts. Every Jutsu, every strategy, Madara had a perfect counter in place. And he was able to exploit weaknesses Sasuke didn't even know he had. For example, Madara had made it clear to Sasuke that his Rinnegan had very distinct catch to it's teleportation ability. It left a ripple in the area he intended to appear, and Madara was more than able to capitalize on that. It forced Sasuke to master his new eye far more quickly that he thought was even possible.

It was generally the same with Naruto, but the addition of his Truth Seeking Orbs made it much easier to survive the more aggressive assaults from Madara. It made Sasuke rely on Naruto for defensive assists more often than ever. They two of them were at their strongest by several orders of magnitude, and they were still barely hanging on.

The shift in the tide happened when Madara obtained his second Rinnegan. With the completed set, he was able to instantly put the two of them on the defensive, and he had kept them there ever since. He began to produce wood clones and his Limbo clones increased in number, and he was taking every advantage possible. Although, Sasuke knew that his ancestor was still not taking the fight entirely too serious. The man still had the ability to bring out the almighty Perfect Susanoo. He knew that the two of them needed to think of something fast, or else Madara might decide to take this battle more seriously.

It had been one of those moments in the fight where the three of them took a moment to breathe, and Sasuke knew that if he allowed Madara even the slightest break at this point, the elder Uchiha would have more than enough power to start dealing serious injury. He and Naruto were on their last legs, and if they let Madara regroup and have even a moment to gather Chakra, the two of them wouldn't last much longer.

So, without a moment of hesitation, Sasuke activated the Rinnegan, and vanished. Within an instant he was behind Madara, his Chokuto already in motion to behead it's target. This wasn't something backed by planning or even instinct. All Sasuke knew was that Madara had to die. Now.

But the Ghost of the Uchiha Clan was suddenly enveloped in the blazing blue light of the Susanoo, and Sasuke's Chokuto was about as effective as a child's pinky finger.

Madara had activated his Perfect Susanoo.

Sasuke instantly teleported to Naruto's side, sheathing his Chokuto and catching his breath.

"We need to do something, Naruto. That Susanoo is going to tear us to pieces if he keeps it activated. I can activate my own, but I'm nowhere near strong enough to match that kind of power by myself. Any ideas?" Naruto looked at him for a moment, then smirked.

"Let's do it like when we fought Obito. I'll take the lead, you follow in two seconds."

Sasuke nodded, and teleported a few dozen yards away. He immediately began to muster as much Chakra as he could.

One…

Two…

Now!

Sasuke released his Chakra, and focused intensely. The Purple glow which surrounded him exploded to life, the unimaginable power provided by his Susanoo's perfect form left him feeling physically lighter than before. But, he needed to move, quickly. He and Naruto had one shot at pulling this off.

The process of fusing their respective abilities fell primarily on Naruto, so Sasuke took the brief moment the think of ways they might be able to catch Madara by surprise. It wouldn't be easy. In fact, they probably wouldn't pull it off at all. This was a losing battle, Sasuke knew that. But he'd been in similar binds in the past, and he wouldn't let the seemingly insurmountable odds deter him. They could win. They had to win.

It was after a few moments that he felt it. The sudden surge in Chakra and the appearance of Naruto beside him indicated that the fusion of the Nine Tails and his Susanoo had been completed. He looked over to Naruto, who was smirking.

"You ready, Sasuke? One last attack!"

Sasuke let loose an intense shout.

"Damn right!" And with that, the two of them began to prepare for their final assault. Sasuke began to summon all of the Chakra in his body, funneling it into Naruto's Avatar to ensure that the blast from their attack would at least force Madara out of the Perfect Susanoo.

"Three!" Naruto shouted, their Avatar beginning to form a Tailed Beast Bomb.

"Two!" Sasuke continued, using his Mangekyo to coat the blast in Amaterasu.

"One!" The two shouted in unison, and Naruto let the blast fly from the mouth of the Nine Tails. A massive flash of energy blinded Sasuke for a moment, and he realised that Madara had released some for of Chakra pulse from the blade of his Susanoo. He felt panic rush into his heart, and he waited to see if the Tailed Beast Bomb would overcome the wave of energy. But, to his horror, the blast began to dissipate, and he and Naruto were mere moments away from being hit by the monstrous tsunami of Chakra barreling towards them. It was then that he also realised that Naruto had already formed a barrier of Truth Seeking Orbs around him. Sasuke shouted.

"Naruto!" His partner looked to him, and an expression of pure terror overcame the grimace from just seconds ago. He reached out to Sasuke, and had nearly expanded the shield far enough to envelop the both of them, when the torrent of Chakra Madara had released slammed into them at full force.

 _ **Hello again everyone! I'd just like to say that I am extremely sorry for dropping Sanguine Espada like I did. I promise I'll come back to it eventually, but for now I need to write something from an, and this is just the idea I've been hunting for. This is basically taking our dear Sasuke and inserting him into the world of Bleach via death in the battle with Madara. In this version, Zetsu failed to kill Madara.**_ _ **Anyways, I wanted to let you guys know that I should be a little more consistent from now on.**_ _ **Well, I guess that's it for me. I'll see you guys next chapter. Buh-Bye!**_


	2. Where Am I

Chapter 2: Where Am I?

It was a terrifying experience, being wiped from existence by nothing but pure Chakra. He was dead, that much Sasuke was beyond sure of. In all honesty, Sasuke wasn't sure what was going on at the moment, but he knew that the afterlife awaited, and so he resigned himself to his fate. What happened now was up to Naruto. And, in truth, Sasuke was okay with that. The dumbass was most certainly stronger than him at this point, but Sasuke knew that he made up for that in his speed and precision. But, he felt that they'd at least been able to wound Madara to some degree, so Sasuke held hope that Naruto would be able to do something. As Sasuke thought, he began to consider what the afterlife might be like. He figured there would be some form of punishment for his actions in life, but it didn't matter. He deserved whatever sentence was deemed fit.

Sasuke had been in a black void for what he assumed had been nearly an hour for he finally began to see something. It was subtle at first, nothing more than a slight tingling in his spine. Then, a blinding flash of light caused him raise his arms to shield himself. It was then that he began to hear a clamor of voices shouting around him. He lowered his arm, and was greeted by the cold bite of a razor edged katana resting against his throat. A harsh, authoritative female voice shouted at him.

" State your name!" Sasuke did a double take, and finally met the eyes of the woman. She was quite a bit shorter than him, her hair bound in two braids on either side of her head. She wore a black shihakusho, a strange looking badge tied around her shoulder. The level of killing intent Sasuke could feel emanating from her made the boy step back, his hand flying to his Chokuto. He stopped himself from drawing his blade, and took a moment to survey his surroundings. His heart skipped a beat when he realized that at least two hundred men and women were surrounding him, blades drawn and ready to carve him to pieces. Sasuke thought for a moment, and forced himself to exit his current defensive stance. He looked back to the women, who was now in a combative stance herself.

" My name is Sasuke Uchiha, and I'd appreciate it if you'd explain just what the hell is going on?" The women seemed to slacken her stance somewhat, and she lowered her weapon.

" You're kidding, right? There's no way someone could just show up in the middle of the Seireitei, exude enough Reiatsu to put a Lieutenant's to shame, and not know what he's doing here in the first place. Now, I demand that you explain yourself at once!" Sasuke, for the second time in the last forty five seconds, had to do a double take. What was she on about? Seireitei? Reiatsu? Lieutenant? Just where was he, exactly?

" Look, I know this sounds bad, but I swear that I've no idea what this place is, and I certainly haven't heard of this… 'Reiatsu' you're referring to. So please, can we just calm down and talk this through?" The woman seemed to contemplate it for a moment.

" So you're saying you have not even the slightest as to where you are right now?" Sasuke shook his head.

" The last thing I remember was dying." Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped slightly.

" You're serious?" Her question seemed tinged with a slight touch of caution, as though she feared what the answer may be. Sasuke nodded.

" So you only just crossed over from the Realm of the Living?" He nodded once more. The woman then sheathed her blade, still eyeing Sasuke with the slightest air of caution. Sasuke didn't mind, of course. It was only natural to be suspicious, given he'd apparently caused a bit of an uproar.

" So, mind telling me where I am, again?" He asked, becoming somewhat impatient. The women was obviously some sort of warrior, and it was clear she held some position of authority, so Sasuke knew that she held at least some of the answers to the questions racing through his mind. The women seemed to glare at him for a moment, before another voice, one Sasuke did not recognize, called out from behind her.

" Soi-Fon, I'm here. Got caught by Kisuke on the way here, and you know how he is sometimes. So what's the situation, not too bad I hope?" The woman questioning him instantly turned to attention, dropping to one knee and bowing her head.

" The situations is under control for the moment, Lady Yoruichi. I've discovered that the cause of the alarm was a Soul crossing into Soul Society. But, it seems that something is very wrong." The woman she was addressing responded.

" How bad?" Her voice had taken on a far more serious tone.

" His Soul was somehow not cleansed by Konso before passing…" There was a tenuous moment of silence as the words settled in the air. The woman who had been referred to as 'Yoruichi' began to walk towards him, allowing Sasuke to lay eyes on her, finally. She was much taller than her apparent subordinate, and wore a white haori over a slim fit outfit Sasuke most associated with the stealth outfits the ANBU of the Leaf tended to wear. Though, it did not match exactly. The next thing that caught the boy's attention were the woman's eyes. They shone a brilliant gold colour, and they bore onto him with a level of intensity that he doubted Naruto could match on his best day. Yoruichi looked him over, and crossed her arms.

" So, you're the guy?" Sasuke scoffed.

" Apparently." He said, his voice dripping sarcasm.

" I just want someone to tell me what the fuck is going on. But no, no. Treat me like I'm a lost damn animal. So if you're here to gawk at me and ask stupid questions, then I'd appreciate it if you'd just go away, and send someone who might actually explain something for a change." He didn't shout, but his patience had officially snapped. Youichi snorted, obviously suppressing a laugh.

" Alright, ask away!" Sasuke just stared for a moment.

" Um… Alright then, what is this place?" He asked.

" This is what I assumed you'd call the afterlife. But, it does have a name, the Soul Society. If you wanted something more specific, you're currently in an area of Soul Society known as the Seireitei, which is basically a hub for Shinigami to conduct their duties." Sasuke felt his stomach drop.

" Shinigami?" Yoruichi seemed unfazed by the question, which troubled Sasuke even further. At least, until she responded.

" Yeah. They're essentially Souls who have gone through intense training to become the guardians of Soul Society. There is a bit more to it, but you'll learn in time. Anything else you wanted to know?" Sasuke thought for a moment, and then looked up at the woman.

" I remember that other woman saying something about Reiatsu? What is that, exactly?" Yoruichi smiled, seeming pleased at the question.

" I'm glad you asked that now, rather than later. I'll give you a basic rundown for now, the rest you should be able to figure out on your own. First, you'll need to know that all Souls, be they living or dead, contain both Reiatsu, and something called Reiryoku. Now, Reiryoku is essentially all of the spiritual energy your Soul contains at any given point, while Reiatsu is the physical manifestation of that energy. Basically, if a Soul has a substantial amount of Reiryoku, then that Soul will begin to exhibit that energy through Reiatsu, which is the part that is used by the Soul in question. Reiatsu can be used in a multitude of way, from high speed movement, to standing on thin air. Also, it is the primary source of power for any Shinigami." As Sasuke listened, he remembered something else the woman Yoruichi referred to as 'Soi-Fon' had said to him. He waited until she had finished her explanation, and then asked one more question.

" Your subordinate also said that I possessed an what I assume is an abnormal amount of Reiatsu, do you know anything about that?" Yoruichi's expression darkened, and she dropped her arms to her sides.

" That… is something I'm entirely sure how to explain just yet. But, I do know someone who'd have a better idea. I've got order form the Head Captain to take you into custody until we figure things out, but I doubt you'll cause any trouble. Follow me." Sasuke nodded, and began to follow the woman, unsure of what awaited him. But, at least he was finally going to get some answers.

 ** _Hello again! (rest in peace, Phyrra) I received a review regarding pairings in this story, and I'd like to address them._**

 ** _First, I've given it some thought, and I decided that I will indeed have at least one pairing in here, though I'm not sure who yet._**

 ** _Second, when I do decide, understand that whatever choice I make will be based solely on who I think is the best match for Sasuke's character. If a character isn't a good fit for him, then I won't waste my time trying to force a relationship that doesn't click on it's own._**

 ** _Moving on, I also noticed someone claiming that Madara would be unable to beat Naruto and Sasuke, and in response, I refer you to the fact that not only is Madara far more intelligent than either of them, he also has access to Wood clones, whom have been shown to be capable of producing their own individual Susanoo. If you try to tell me that Naruto and Sasuke would be able to beat twenty five separate Susanoo, all being controlled by the most experienced Mangekyo user in the entire history of the verse aside from Indra himself, you are completely and utterly delusional. On top of that, your reference to the Kaguya fight isn't quite as valid as you might think._**

 ** _A: Madara would be able to defeat Kaguya, on his own, without the use of Perfect Susanoo. I say this because not only is Madara the best damn strategist in the entire verse, but I can also guarantee that Madara would absolutely slaughter Naruto in a one on one fight. Seeing as Naruto could fight one somewhat even footing with her, I have no doubt that Madara would have been able to beat Kaguya with either equal or less difficulty than Naruto and Sasuke displayed._**

 ** _B: Kaguya is not intelligent. Not when compared to (insert literally any Uchiha in the verse) or people like Jiraiya and MInato. She was literally just a basic bitch with an absurd amount of raw power._**

 ** _C: I'd also like to point out that for the entire fight with Naruto and Sasuke, Madara was fighting completely blind, having no idea what powers the two of them had gained. Once he finally got his second Rinnegan, however, I definitely think he would have had enough time to figure out their new abilities and look for weaknesses._**

 ** _Now that that's out of the way, I'd like to go ahead and mention something._**

 ** _Sasuke is going to have all of his abilities from life. Excluding the Rinnegan. I will explain later in the story._** ** _Sorry for the long AN, but I had a lot of stuff to talk about, so I hope you don't mind my rambling. Anyways, don't forget to Rate and Review!_**

Goodbye, all!!!


	3. Revelations

Chapter 3: Revelations

They'd been walking for quite a while, but after what Sasuke guessed to be about half an hour, they finally came to a stop. Yoruichi took a couple steps forward, knocking roughly on the sliding door.

"Hey, Kisuke! Open up in there, I've got someone who needs to talk to you!" She yelled, and stepped back from the door as a groggy voice replied.

"Just a second!" After about ten seconds, the door slid open, revealing a pale man, with a rugged mop of almost bone coloured hair. He seemed to still be waking up fully, as he wore only a deep emerald green robe, and his eyes were squinted slightly.

"Ah, and who's this, Yoruichi? Doesn't look like anyone I'd recognize. Is he a new recruit in the Division?" He seemed to look over the boy more carefully, blinking the sleep from his eyes, seemed to come to a realization.

"Nope, definitely not a recruit. Is he from another Division or something? His Reiatsu is pretty impressive, from what I can tell. A new Lieutenant, perhaps?" Yoruichi stepped a bit closer to him, whispering something in his ear. Sasuke just watched, not bothering to activate his Sharingan to try and listen in. Then something crossed Sasuke's mind for the first time since he woke up. _Can I even use the Sharingan anymore?_ He decided to test it, and attempted to activate his basic Sharingan. He almost audibly sighed in relief when everything around began to slow down, and he felt his body became noticeably lighter. He looked at the two people in front of him, and noticed that while Yoruichi had been whispering into his ear, Kisuke had literally been staring at him the entire time. Sasuke immediately deactivated his eyes. Kisuke seemed to contemplate it for a moment, and then, to Sasuke's surprise, winked at him. Sasuke tipped his head to the side, and Kisuke responded by pointing to his own eye, and then placed his finger over his lips. Sasuke caught the signal loud and clear, Kisuke wouldn't say anything unless Sasuke wanted to tell them about it. He bowed his head slightly, wordlessly thanking the man for his understanding. _I have no idea how they would react to something like the Sharingan, and until I know they're trustworthy, I don't want word of it to spread._

Sasuke watched as Kisuke and Yoruichi finished their private conversation, and waited for someone to speak. After about five seconds, Kisuke spoke up.

"Come on inside, I'll grab you some chairs. This is gonna be a long discussion." Sasuke nodded in agreement, and followed Yoruichi as she stepped inside. The place was… cluttered, to say the least. Every direction Sasuke turned his head was covered from head to toe in lab equipment and vials of various chemicals that he didn't recognize. He ended up flashing back to his time with Orochimaru, and how the man used to ramble on about various scientific jargon that Sasuke had always found quite boring. He turned back to face Yoruichi, and flashed her a questioning look. She noticed, and immediately chuckled.

"He's fine, kid. Kisuke's probably the smartest guy in all of Soul Society. If he can't figure why you're here, no one can." And there it was again. That nagging feeling in Sasuke's gut that had been eating at him since he first spoke with that 'Soi-Fon' woman.

He shouldn't be here.

"Well, that's about the best I can do for now. Sorry if it's uncomfortable, but I haven't got much else." Sasuke was snapped to attention when Kisuke placed two small wooden chairs in the center of the room. Well, at least Sasuke assumed it was the center. He waited for Yoruichi to sit down first, making sure that he wouldn't knock over any of what must have been thousands of various glass fixtures around the room. As he finally managed to sit down, he turned his gaze back to Kisuke.

"So, kid, care to tell me how you died?" He asked. Sasuke was caught a bit off guard by the man's bluntness, but quickly recovered.

"Well, it's a bit complicated, but long story short I was hit by a wave of destructive energy. I assume it completely vaporized me, and after that I was just sort of in a void of blackness. I was there for about an hour, and then I ended up in the Seireitei with that 'Soi-Fon' woman's blade to my throat. She questioned me for a bit, and then she showed up." He finished by pointing at Yoruichi, who remained silent. Kisuke took a moment to ponder the boy's story, and seemed to come to a conclusion after about a minute flat.

"Well, I've got an idea, but I doubt it's very solid. I'll take some time to think it over, but we'll assume the following for now: First, do you know how powerful the blast that hit you was?" Sasuke took a moment of consideration.

"It was powerful enough to level entire continents. And that may be an understatement." Kisuke's eyes seemed to jolt open upon hearing this bit.

"I'm sorry, but could you repeat that? I believe I may have misheard you." Sasuke frowned. Did they not know what was happening in the Realm of the Living?

"I said that the blast was strong enough to level a continent, and that it may have been an understatement." He spoke more loudly this time, making sure that Kisuke heard each word perfectly. He looked to his left, and noticed that Yoruichi had the same wide-eyed expression on her face.

"Alright, we'll just go with it for now. So, according to you the blast was extremely powerful. Based off of that, I believe what may have happened to you was something quite rare in the cycle of death. Your body was destroyed so utterly by the blast that it actually affected your Soul. It caused such a powerful reaction that your Soul was thrown out of the Realm of the Living and into Soul Society. The residual Reiatsu from the blast may have been what allowed you to punch through the barrier that guards the Seireitei from outsiders so easily. On top of that, the fact that you didn't go the process of Konso means that you Soul hasn't been cleansed. Typically, this results in any abilities or physical changes that occured after birth being stripped away. But, judging from what I observed earlier, I believe that those abilities are still present. Is that true?" Sasuke felt both of their eyes fall on him. He looked up at Kisuke, who wore an expression that even he couldn't get a good read on. He sighed.

"Yeah, what you saw was a hereditary ability in my family. I was actually checking to see if I could still use it when you saw it." This seemed to get Yoruichi's attention, as she immediately asked:

"So what is it? Anything worth talking about?" Sasuke scoffed. _Believe me, I wish it weren't._ Sasuke took a moment to consider his options. It would probably be for the best if he told them the truth, but he wasn't sure what happened to the others of his clan. If they were still in Soul Society, that meant it was very likely that they would discover him eventually. _Wait_. He thought. _Why am I worried? No Uchiha aside from Obito and Madara himself had ever unlocked the Rinnegan. Two of those Shinobi aren't likely to stir up trouble. But… if Naruto won, Madara could very well be a problem. No, it's best for now if I play things subtle. I'll limit my use of the Mangekyo and Rinnegan to life or death moments, and only use the Sharingan if I deem it safe and necessary._

"It's called the Sharingan. It gifts the user with incredible powers of perception, and boosts our reaction time to insane levels. There are a few other things, but I won't talk about them yet. I still have no idea if I can actually trust you, so I assume you understand." The finality of his tone made it clear that he wouldn't divulge any more. Yoruichi looked over to Kisuke, who seemed satisfied for the moment.

"But, there is still one thing I don't understand." The two turned to look at Sasuke. He seemed to take a moment to think, and then spoke.

"Where I come from, there exists an energy known as Chakra. I assume neither of you have heard of it, but in my life it was through the use of one's Chakra that the Sharingan could be activated. Yet, you claimed that I possessed Reiatsu earlier. Does that mean I no longer have access to Chakra? Or do I contain both energies within me?" Kisuke seemed to toss the idea around in his head for a moment, and eventually held up his finger.

"Ah! Do you have anything else that may indicate the use of this 'Chakra'?" Sasuke nodded, and stood up.

"I'll need some room for this. You may follow if you want." He turned, and made his way to the front door. He slid it open, and stepped out.

The place was fairly barren, but Sasuke eventually spotted a tree to his left, about thirty feet away. He walked forwards a bit, and settled into the stance of Chidori. But, as he attempted to funnel the Chakra necessary to his hand, he found that instead he felt nothing. He tried for a few more seconds, but quickly gave up, instead opting to test his Mangekyo, to see if Enton was still available to him. He activated them, and immediately he sighed as the world around him began to slow. He looked at the tree, and focused his mind.

"Amaterasu." The everlasting black flame instantly began to burn the tree to ash.

A few feet away, Kisuke and Yoruichi were watching, and when the tree went up in flames, Kisuke found himself choosing to instead look at Sasuke's eyes. At first, nothing seemed different form when the boy used his Sharingan earlier, but for a split second Kisuke was able to spot a distinct change in Reiatsu output from the boy. Before, when he'd first used his Sharingan, Kisuke would have estimated his Reiatsu to be at least Captain level, if not more. It had caught Kisuke off guard, but he assumed that the Sharingan must have been quite the boost in power. But this… This was a level of power he'd only seen from the likes of Captains Kyoraku and Unohana. Kisuke had barely noticed the change before it was suddenly as though nothing had ever happened. The power he'd felt just a fraction of a second ago was gone. He leaned over to Yoruichi, who seemed just as perplexed as he was.

"Did you feel that?" The woman nodded, her eyes fixed on the boy in front of them.

"Yeah. I think he assumed we wouldn't notice the change. Either that, or he simply doesn't know that we can sense it. Regardless, we need to keep an eye on him. I'll report this to Yamamoto during the Captains meeting later today. He'll want to speak with Sasuke himself after this." Kisuke didn't respond, seemingly lost in thought.

 _Just who are you, Sasuke Uchiha?_

 _ **Hello! Nothing much talk about, but a reviewer pointed out that Sasuke seemed pretty ooc. I actually have a reason for how I'm writing him right now, but I can't say anything about without giving spoilers. That's all for today**_.

Buh-Bye!!!


	4. Captain's Meeting

Chapter 4: Captains Meeting

Sasuke had been in Soul Society for about four hours at this point, being watched and escorted around the Seireitei by Yoruichi Shihoin. It had been quite strange at first, but Sasuke had always been one to adapt quickly. He'd learned quite a bit in the last couple of hours. The first of which was that he no longer seemed to be able to use any standard ninjutsu, and that his Sharingan seemed to be unaffected by this. Kisuke had presumed that Sasuke's eyes had been too strongly linked to Sasuke's Soul to be torn from him. He'd also learned that it was extremely likely that his Chakra had been converted to Reiryoku upon crossing into Soul Society. Though, neither Yoruichi nor Kisuke seemed to know how that would be possible. Furthermore, Sasuke had been given a full, detailed explanation of how the Shinigami of Soul Society operated. The Shinigami were divided into four different rankings, those being Unseated, Seated, Lieutenant, and Captain. Unseated Shinigami were typically those who exhibited no particularly notable skill in combat. They were general footsoldiers, or patrolled Soul Society as a basic police force. Seated Shinigami were generally Shinigami who had caught the eye of their Captain, and received a promotion to one of many seats in their Division. Lieutenants were Shinigami that had shown exemplary combat prowess and the ability release their Shikai. A Shinigami's weapon, the Zanpakuto, was capable of two transformations.

The first, being Shikai, allowed the Shinigami in question to fight at several times the power they'd been capable of before. It also granted various unique abilities from one Shinigami to the next. It was considered to be a requirement of a potential Lieutenant to have unlocked their Shikai release prior to promotion, but there were exceptions from time to time.

The second was known as Bankai. Yoruichi had told him that very few Shinigami every unlocked Bankai, and that it was capable of increasing the user's power by at much as ten times that of Shikai.

Then you had Captains, who were, from what Sasuke could tell, one person war machines of incredible skill and power. There were pretty much always thirteen of these Shinigami in Soul Society, each presiding over a Division of the Gotei 13, which was basically the primary military force of Soul Society. Sasuke had been surprised to learn that both Yoruichi and Kisuke were Captains of the 2nd and 12th Division respectively.

For the last few minutes, Sasuke had been thinking about what kind of power the Captains had at their disposal. More specifically, he'd been thinking about whether he'd be able to defeat one should the need arise. But, Sasuke had yet to actually see one of them in action. He'd need to wait until he could assess their power properly before formulating any real strategy, which annoyed him to no end. _I mean, Yoruichi and Kisuke seem trustworthy enough, but I have no idea what to expect from the other Captains._

"Sasuke!" The yell shook him from his thoughts as he looked up to see who had called his name. Yoruichi was standing there, waving her hand in front of his face like he'd been staring off into nothing. Which, now that Sasuke thought about it, was probably exactly what had happened.

"What was that? I sort of zoned out for moment." Yoruichi chuckled for a few seconds, and then turned away from him, beginning to walk down the path they'd stopped on.

"I was trying to tell you that we need to get to the Captains meeting soon, or we'll be late! I'm expected to report this whole situation to the Head Captain, and I'm ninety percent sure he'll want to speak with you personally. I managed to save you from being arrested the moment you appeared here, but I think Yamamoto's patience is starting to run thin." She started to jog, and Sasuke soon fell in pace with her. Yes, he'd heard about Head Captain Yamamoto. According to both Kisuke and Yoruichi, the man was the most powerful being in all of Soul Society, and had been around for over two thousand years, and was still just as powerful as he was in his prime. Sasuke didn't know much else about the man, but based off of what he'd heard, he would rather avoid confrontation with him.

They'd been jogging several minutes before they finally reach the entrance to the 1st Division headquarters, and the moment they stepped past the Shinigami guarding the entrance, he felt something change in the air. It was as though a Tailed Beast were trying to crush him under it's weight, and Sasuke was forced to activate his Sharingan in order to remain composed. He heard Yoruichi sigh as she walked.

"Looks like the Head Captain's in a bad mood today." Her tone gave Sasuke the impression that this wasn't uncommon. She turned back to look at him for moment, and then her eyes widened when she realized he'd activated his Sharingan.

"You alright? It's only going to get worse once we get there. He's in a mood because of you, you know." Sasuke nodded, and quickened his pace until he was beside Yoruichi.

"I'm fine now. I just needed them to get used to the pressure." He said. Yoruichi stopped walking, and looked over to Sasuke,

"Alright, we're here. Brace yourself, and hide your eyes until you get used to it. Just make sure to address any Captain who speaks to you as such, and you should be fine. You haven't purposefully broken any of our laws, and your state of being is completely beyond your control. Hopefully Yamamoto will see that." Sasuke nodded in understanding. Yoruichi then grasped the handle of the door before them, and pushed it open.

The room that Sasuke stepped into was, quite frankly, not at all what he had expected. It was large, with it's ceiling nearly two stories above him. The floor was a simple hardwood, and the wall consisted of white stone, held in place by wooden support beams which lay flush with the wall. He looked to the people standing at the room's center.

There were ten people standing there, all wearing slightly different variations of the Captain's Haori. He was able to spot Kisuke on the far end of the room, and the man threw up his hand and waved. Sasuke returned the gesture after a moment. He looked to the others, and before he could truly analyze them, he felt that same pressure he'd felt before. This time though, it as if he were trapped inside of a Chibaku Tensei meteor, and that meteor was being crushed on all sides by the power of every Tailed Beast in existence at once. In short, Sasuke suddenly found it exceptionally hard to breathe. He immediately activated his Sharingan, taking deep breaths as he adjusted to the feeling. He looked to the ground, doing his best to hide his eyes from the Captains, and began to follow Yoruichi closer to the center of the room.

He waited a few more seconds, making sure he'd be alright when he deactivated his eyes. After he felt sure of himself, he did so. Thankfully, he was able to breathe normally, and looked up at the others in the room. He then noticed that literally every single person in that room except for Yoruichi and Kisuke was staring at him. Sasuke had no idea what to do. He looked at Yoruichi, and before he could do anything, a loud, gravelly voice called out.

"Boy. Step forward." Sasuke did so, and finally got a clear view of the speaker. The man was obviously quite old, his aged white beard and the cane upon which his hand rested made that clear. He was extremely physically fit, however. And Sasuke was able to spot so many scars lining the man's body that he probably need the Sharingan to keep count. Just off of his first time meeting eyes with the man, Sasuke could feel so much authority and power behind his gaze that it nearly made him shudder. There was a certain glint in the man's eyes that made it seem as though they were ablaze in hellfire. There was no doubt in his mind anymore. This man was Head Captain of the Gotei 13, Genryusai Yamamoto.

"You are here by request of 2nd Division Captain, Yoruichi Shihoin, for a military hearing. This means that your fate will be determined by myself and my fellow Captains. You are to explain everything you know regarding you sudden appearance in the Seireitei, and plead your case as to why you should not be put to death for infiltration and high treason. Do you understand the terms of this hearing?" Sasuke ran through the explanation one more time in his head. _Simple enough, I suppose._

"Yes, I understand these terms." The elder Shinigami grunted, and raised his cane from the floor. He slammed it back into the hardwood, the resulting bang echoed throughout the chamber.

"Then your hearing has begun."

Sasuke began with explaining the manner of his arrival, emphasizing the fact that he didn't know how or why he had appeared in the Seireitei. He continued by telling of his brief interaction with Yoruichi's Lieutenant, Soi-Fon, and then went on to report his first meeting with Yoruichi. Just as he was about to move on, another bang of Yamamoto's cane stopped him.

"That is all the information required. You may now plead your case." Sasuke nodded, and began.

"I'd like to make it very clear that I had no prior knowledge of Soul Society or the Seireitei before my arrival, and that I have no interest in harming it or it's citizens. I bear no ill will, and I hope that all of you can see that as clearly as I do. I understand that in my arrival, I may have broken some of your laws, and I won't deny that fact. What I instead want you to focus on in making your decision is that I had no influence on my arrival, and wasn't even aware there were laws to be broken in the afterlife. I formally apologize for any transgressions I may have committed, but you must understand that these acts were beyond my ability to stop." He turned back to face the Head Captain.

"I think that will be all, sir." The man nodded, and stood from his seated position.

"The decision making process will now begin. Do any Captains present have concerns they would like to address?" There was silence for several seconds.

"I do, Head Captain." Sasuke turned to the source of the voice, and laid eyes on him. The Captain was tall, and wore his Shihakusho open, revealing a strange numeric tattoo. His Haori's sleeves had been cut off at the shoulder, along with his Shihakusho, and both were bound around his waist by a belt of rope. His grayish silver hair hung over his face slightly, though not enough to obscure his eyes, which were furrowed with intensity and concern.

"Then speak, 9th Division Captain Muguruma." The man turned away from Yamamoto, now facing Sasuke.

"Alright, so this is something I think we're all concerned about right now, and I want to hear this from your mouth, boy. What proof do you have that you're telling the truth? How sure can we be that you won't stab us in the back the moment this meeting ends?" Sasuke didn't even think before responding.

"I don't have any proof. I know that you have no reason to trust me, and there's nothing that I can do to gain that trust if you don't give me a chance to try. I'm only here right now because Captain Shihoin had faith in me. If you can't put your trust in me, then trust her. She isn't wrong. So long as you don't force me to, I can say with absolute certainty that I will let your people be." The Captain stared Sasuke down for a moment, analyzing every aspect of Sasuke's face for signs of deceit. Eventually, he relented, crossing his arms.

"Very well. I can live with that. That's all, Head Captain." Yamamoto didn't respond.

"Anyone else?" Several moments of silence passed.

"Then we shall now determine the boy's fate. All in favor of execution, raise your left hand." As he finished, two hands went up. Sasuke waited, the silence beginning to wear on his nerves. After about two more seconds, another hand was raised. Within half of a minute, five hands had been raised. After that, the silence reigned for the next thirty seconds. When the minute had finished, the Head Captain slammed his cane into the floor a final time.

"Then it is decided. Sasuke Uchiha is cleared of all charges and placed under the military watch of 5th Division Captain Hirako. Due to your abnormal levels of Reiatsu, you will be subject to examination by myself, as well as 7th Division Captain Aikawa and 2nd Division Captain Shihoin. This examination will take place immediately after this meeting ends. Now, are there any other issues to be discussed?" He paused, and after a few more moments of silence, he spoke once more.

"Then this Captains meeting is now adjourned."

 ** _Hello! Sasuke's fate has officially been decided, and this story can finally start picking some momentum. Also, I'd like to inform you that a pairing has been decided. But, this is going to be a fairly slow burning pairing, so don't expect anything for a while. One more thing for those who care. The updates on this story are going to slow down greatly over the next couple of weeks, but it will return to normal as soon as I can get a consistent schedule._**

 ** _Buh-Bye!!!_**


	5. Moving Forward

Chapter 5: Moving Forward

Sasuke had waited for several minutes as the Captains filed out of the doorway, only Yoruichi, the Head Captain, and another Captain Sasuke had yet to meet remained. He didn't bother moving from his spot in the center of the room. _That was infuriating,_ he thought. Normally, he'd have started fighting the moment the concept of someone else determining his fate had been brought up, but for some reason his entire being had told him that that was a _very_ bad idea. And, well, he was nothing if not trusting of his instincts.

So, instead, he decided to wait. Originally, he had planned on only acting if it became clear that the decision would not be in his favor. But the moment he set foot in that room, it became extremely clear to him that no matter how he handled this, he would die unless he could convince them to give him a chance. As powerful as he was, Sasuke knew that attempting to defeat the thirteen most powerful beings in an entire dimension, while knowing nothing of their powers and fighting styles, would be stupid. In fact, he imagined that was something Naruto might do. Sure, he might hate the idea of people choosing his path for him, but he wasn't an impulsive fool. This was a situation best played subtly, and it had worked out perfectly. He was glad he hadn't given away too much information to Yoruichi and Kisuke, otherwise they might have had very different reactions compared to how they did.

 _Bang!!!_

Sasuke was snapped from his thoughts, his eyes darting to where the sound had come from. To his moderate relief, it was merely the Head Captain getting his attention. The man merely stared at him for a moment, as though he were taking measure of Sasuke's threat level. Though, Sasuke didn't see much point in this, as his powers would require far more than just a visual evaluation to determine. Even so, Yamamoto grunted, and began to speak.

"Your Reiatsu is quite controlled for such a young Soul. And I can infer that there is much more beneath the surface. Captain Shihoin informed me that your Reiatsu seemed to spike from that of a Lieutenants to a level only demonstrated by the oldest of Captains. While I doubt your power is anywhere near such a level, I am intrigued by this report." He paused for a moment, lifted his hand and making a motion Sasuke assumed to mean 'come here' to the Captain Sasuke didn't know. He stepped forward, and Sasuke finally decided to look him over. He was quite tall, and his hair was styled into an afro that looked slightly odd. His attire was fairly typical of the Captains Sasuke had seen thus far, with a sleeveless haori, and a black shihakusho. There was silence, as though the man was expecting some form of verbal greeting. Sasuke, by nature, did no such thing. He had been out of his comfort zone for way too long, so he wasn't about to continue it now that he was in the clear. So, it was back to his traditional cold-shoulder disposition. After it became clear that Sasuke had no intention of speaking, Yamamoto continued.

"This is Captain Love Aikawa of the 7th Division, he will be responsible for examining your physical strength. Reiatsu is known to augment one's capabilities to varying degrees, and will be an easy way of determining you overall power. Note that this is going to affect your responsibilities in the future." Sasuke nodded, and the Head Captain stepped back. Aikawa finally spoke.

"I suggest you do whatever is necessary to prepare. I intend on pushing your body to it's limit. You'll be striking variously weighted blocks of metal, and after each I'll increase the weight of the next, until you can't move them anymore. Don't go into this with the intent of making it through every block, because you won't. Not even Captain Muguruma was able to, and he has one of the highest reserves of all of the Captains. Now, if you'll turn around you'll see that some of my subordinates have already set up of the first few. Go ahead and start when you're ready." Sasuke did so, and walked over to the first block. It only came up to his waist, and Sasuke noticed that the other blocks didn't seem to get very much bigger. Shrugging his shoulders, he decided to take this fairly casually. It didn't matter how well he did, anyway. So, he reared his right foot back, and kicked.

What resulted was, for lack of a better word, surprising. The block flew across the entire room and crashed into the opposite wall. After the smoke cleared, Sasuke also noticed that the thing had exploded into several pieces on impact. That was… odd. He knew that he wasn't average in terms of Chakra, and his Taijutsu was nothing to scoff at, but this was something he'd have expected from someone like Gai or Jiraiya. _That must be the augmentation Yamamoto was referring to. Not bad…_ He allowed himself a smirk. It seemed that the effects of Reiatsu on the body were far superior to those of Chakra. And that was probably an understatement. That had felt no different than kicking _loose pebbles_. He looked back over his shoulder, and was mildly amused to see that Aikawa's jaw had slackened slightly. He turned back, and moved on to the next block. He decided to be truly daring, and this time did little more than drive his knee into it. He was met with similar results, although the block didn't break quite as spectacularly this time. It merely broke into two or three shards, and not much else. Again, he moved on. Since the next few blocks were only slightly bigger, he went through them with ease. When he got to the last block, he changed it up a bit. So, instead of kicking or kneeing the block, he hit the thing with a legitimate palm strike, with enough effort behind it to crack the block on impact. It flew across the room, exactly as those prior had, and when it impacted the wall the thing practically disintegrated into pieces so small Sasuke had to tilt his head to avoid one of them from hitting his left eye. He turned back around, and looked to Aikawa with a bored expression on his face.

Aikawa seemed slightly annoyed, for some reason. Sasuke assumed that this wasn't normal, and decided to speak to the Captain for the first time.

"What next?" Aikawa seemed to furrow his eyebrows, but Sasuke couldn't be sure due to the sunglasses the man was wearing.

"Well, you obviously have some decent strength, so we'll just skip to the last three, and see how well you do." Sasuke nearly snorted. _I guess these guys aren't as strong as I assumed. Granted, I'm only like this because of the difference in potency between Chakra and Reiatsu. I assume the Captains are at least close to this level, since Yoruichi and the old man didn't seem all that bothered by my strength. This Aikawa must just be fairly weaker than them, I suppose._ The sound of something heavy hitting the floor shook Sasuke from his thoughts, and he looked up. There were three blocks there, all of the same size, and each had a number carved into them.

"These blocks aren't made from the same material as the others, and unlike them, the reishi in these has been modified by the 12th Division to be as dense and sturdy as physically and spiritually possible. By all rights, only the greatest of Captain-class Shinigami should be able to affect them, so I suggest you take this much more seriously than the others." Aikawa seemed quite pleased with himself. Sasuke, not doubting the man's word, decided to give it a shot without his Sharingan. He reared his fist back, careful not to over-extend himself, and punched as hard and as fast as he could.

The result was not at all what he was expecting. When his fist made contact, the thing did move… but only a couple of inches. In response, he decided to try again with the Sharingan, purely out of curiosity, he wanted to find out as much as he could in this test. Just as always, the world began to slow, and his body began to feel more reactive and aware. He looked to the block, and was immediately struck with a sight that gave him pause. It reminded him of the first time he'd seen someone's Chakra. Inside of the block was a… mass. That was the best he could describe it. A blue, writhing mass of energy. It was so dense with this energy that Sasuke was sure that the block should have exploded. _So the Sharingan can see reishi._ That must have been what it was, because it's the only thing that Aikawa mentioned about the block that would explain this. He just stared at it for a moment, getting used to the sight. Normally the Sharingan could only see the Chakra of living creatures, so Sasuke could only assume that he could see the reishi in the block because of just how much was there. After all, why would the Sharingan obtain any more power than it had before? It only made sense that reishi would become visible in high enough quantities.

After reasoning through this new discovery, Sasuke decided it was probably best to act before those around him took notice. He quickly peeked over his shoulder, fast enough that he was confident that no one would notice his eyes. The moment he caught sight of Yoruichi, his ripped his head back to face the block, his adrenaline on fire. Her eyes had been as wide as dinner plates. _What did she see?_ Sasuke suddenly came to a realization, and felt like an idiot for it. Even Naruto wouldn't make a mistake like this! He'd completely ignored the fact that Reiatsu changes could be physically felt by anyone in proximity. He'd forgotten that when his power was boosted by the Sharingan's activation, literally anyone within a certain distance could tell the difference in his Reiatsu output. Things weren't as easy as before. He couldn't just use his Sharingan like that anymore. People were going to notice. People _had_ noticed. Sighing, he decided to just continue. Perhaps they wouldn't call it out if he didn't react. So, he closed what little distance was between him and the block, reared back his arm, and slammed his fist into the thing, allowing all of the frustration he felt for himself funnel into the strike.

The entire front half of the block disintegrated on contact, and a concussive shockwave slammed into the floor, cracking the tiles and sending shards of rock and tile flying in all directions. The remaining portion of the block was sent flying across the room at such a speed that even Sasuke could barely track it. When it hit the wall, there was a resounding crash as the material consisting of the wall gave way under the immense speed and weight of the block. Once the smoke clear, Sasuke could see that he'd caused quite a bit of destruction with this last strike. The floor was in tatters around him, with numerous tiles shattered and strewn across the ground. But, the worst damage by far was done to the was across from him.

About waist-height up the wall there was a massive hole, revealing a strangely out of place hill not too far off. Smoke was still wisping off of it, the wall around the impact site scorched by the heat produced during the collision. Sasuke turned around, satisfied. The first thing he noticed was that Yoruichi still seemed extremely unsettled, and that Aikawa was now palming the hilt of his blade. His frustration still burning, Sasuke did the same with his Chakuto, staring down the Captain with an unwavering glare. "Hands off of your sword, Shinigami. I won't warn you a second time. I don't plan on killing anyone today, but if you want to dance I'd be more than happy to." The man seemed to tighten his grip, and Sasuke became aware of two other sets of eyes staring him down. He flicked his eyes to Yamamoto, and the man's voice boomed throughout the room. "I suggest that you not challenge my subordinate whilst in my presence, _boy_. You will find that I am not as forgiving as I seemed during your hearing. Cease your insolence, _now_." Sasuke didn't budge. Before the situation could escalate any further, Yoruichi stepped forward. "Aikawa, just relax. Sasuke has already said that he wouldn't cause trouble unless we give him a reason to, and that is exactly what you're doing right now." The other Captain's glare intensified for a moment, and, after a few more seconds of staring, Aikawa released the iron grip upon his Zanpakuto. A few seconds later, and Sasuke did the same.

 _ **An hour later…**_

Yamamoto had called off the examination after that, the moment of tension having broken what little patience the old man had left. Yoruichi had led Sasuke out of the meeting room, chastising him the entire time. Sasuke had calmed down quite quickly, and now paced a few feet behind the Captain that Yoruichi had introduced as 'Shinji Hirako.' The blond had been mostly silent, only speaking to point out any important locations in the 5th Division barracks. He'd been instructed by the old man to return to the 1st Division barracks within the week, but Sasuke was definitely considering just not showing up. He didn't like the Head Captain. At all. In fact, he'd have to say that at this point he'd met more Shinigami that he disliked than those he did.

"And here's your room. You're being kept separate from the rest of the Division for the time being. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me. Welcome to the 5th, I hope we get along well in the future. I have to go finish up some paperwork, but I'll be back before long!" He said the last bit with a grin Sasuke could only classify as… unsettling. The Captain then stalked off down the hall, leaving Sasuke alone to think for the first time since he'd arrived in Soul Society. He pulled the door open, and stepped inside.

The room was rather bland, devoid of furniture, and a simple sleeping mat was laid out in the center of the dusty space. So, Sasuke closed the door behind him and plopped down onto the mat, letting out a relieved sigh. _Finally. I thought today was never going to end._ He laid there, in sweet, blissful silence, for a few seconds. He let the events of the day wash over him, analyzing the events of the past twenty four hours in scrutinous detail. But, his thoughts always seemed to land on one particular realization.

 _I'm dead._

 **Hello! Been quite a while, hasn't it? I ended up being way busier than expected, so forgive the lack of updates. I plan on updating again with the next week or so, but I can't promise anything. I'm trying to start upping the length of these chapters, due to some complaints I've received. I'm personally used to shorter chapters, so it'll probably take me a while to get to a decent length that I'm comfortable with. Also, for those of your who're curious, this part of the story takes place right before the Visored Incident, and will have a timeskip between that event and when Ichigo is introduced. Can't wait to see that moment. How do you guys think Sasuke would interact with him?**

 **Also, I finally got around to explaining Sasuke's 'ooc'ness in the earlier chapters. Surprise, he kind of need to force himself to act against his own nature, because I'm sorry, but he is NOT going to beat all of the Captains at once, even with Susanoo. We also got to see how Reiatsu changes Sasuke's physical prowess when compared with Chakra, so that's cool.**

 **Oh, and one last thing.**

 **For those of you who took issue with the nature of Sasuke's death, why does it matter? Literally the only purpose of that chapter was to kill Sasuke. Nothing else. The argument can definitely be made that Madara could have beaten them, and I never said that he won that battle in the end, but I have no doubt that Sasuke would have died in that fight. That's the whole reason I used that fight in particular. It doesn't matter if Madara could beat both of them, because spoiler alert: Naruto isn't in this story.**

 **And my heart goes out to Vic Mignogna. That poor man doesn't deserve what's happening to him.**


	6. Beginning of the End

Chapter 6: Beginning of the End

The next few days were rather boring, consisting of Sasuke being escorted around the 5th Division barracks by Shinji Hirako. He didn't exactly like Shinji, though. The man was… hard to read, if nothing else. Always wearing that same toothy grin.

Sasuke had heard from Shinji that the old man had graded him as a Captain class asset, so he wouldn't be escorted like an infant forever. It was obscenely tiring, having to listen to Hirako drone on about the Division and their duties. In the morning, they'd go through physical training, followed by Jinzen training. Later, during the afternoon, the Division would send out four patrols to watch the Seireitei. Hirako often accompanied one of the patrols, in case of any serious threat. But, this also gave Sasuke the chance to learn the layout of the Seireitei, which he'd made significant progress with. He figured that he should know the entire place by heart within the coming week.

But, there was one thing that had been troubling Sasuke as of late. One person he'd met.

Hirako's Lieutenant, Sosuke Aizen. The man was practically impossible for Sasuke to read. Every time Sasuke though he'd figured him out, the man would switch his demeanor so swiftly and effortlessly that Sasuke could barely keep up. Not to mention how abnormally intelligent and skilled he was. Even for a Lieutenant, Aizen showed a nearly perfect knowledge of the Shinigami arts. Undefeated in sparring matches, the highest academic score from the Shinigami Academy in nearly 150 years… It was all a bit too perfect for Sasuke to trust the Lieutenant. As it may seem, Sasuke had dug up quite a lot of info on Sosuke Aizen over the last week. He'd looked through every book and file pertaining to the man he could find, and with each new discovery Sasuke's lack of trust for the Lieutenant grew.

And… then there was his Zanpakuto.

No Shinigami Sasuke had met seemed to know what the Lieutenant's Zanpakuto was capable of. In fact, he'd even seen two unseated members of the 5th debating over what Aizen's sword actually did. One argued that it allowed him to manipulate gravity, while the other claimed that it was something called a 'Compression-type Zanpakuto.' This subset of Zanpakuto differed from the norm, in that while most expanded upon themselves, granting powerful abilities and being exceptionally difficult to maintain for any long period of time. Compression-types were the inverse, staying much smaller scale and they generally tended to amplify ones innate physical abilities by vast margins.

Sasuke knew better than they did, however. In fact, Sasuke doubted that anyone besides himself knew of what Aizen's Zanpakuto was truly capable of. It wasn't some trivial boost to combat prowess, nor was it something that broadcasted it's power. Sosuke Aizen's Zanpakuto fell into an area between standard and Compression-type. While it did nothing to augment the man's physical capabilities, it also managed to be almost effortless to maintain, and left no visual indication as to its activation.

While Sasuke was unsure of just how great the potency of Aizen's Zanpakuto was, he had no doubt that it was likely one of the most powerful and effective powers in Soul Society. This was not something Sasuke was guessing on. After all, he was exceptionally well versed in its particular area of expertise.

Lieutenant Aizen's Zanpakuto was capable of the most powerful Genjutsu Sasuke had ever encountered, and by several orders of magnitude. It was such a wide ranging and effective illusionary Zanpakuto that even the other Captains seemed to be under its spell. All of them believed his sword to possess some form of water-based ability. Sasuke came to this conclusion due to several factors, but the most important and damning was that every time he'd witnessed the Lieutenant supposedly release his Shikai, he would see no such release. However, any time it happened, Hirako would act as though a Shikai release had been performed. It was as if Aizen were making the Captain see something which had not actually transpired. Sasuke was unsure of why the illusion had no effect on him, but his best assumption was that it was due to his Sharingan. He had managed to convince non-Captain class members of the Division that his eyes were nothing more than a side-effect of his Zanpakuto. It was a lazy lie, but it had worked so far. His Chokuto was just similar enough to convince most, and he could easily utilize Genjutsu to sway their thoughts if they questioned him.

Sasuke had been compiling evidence and various testimony for the last week, and finally he felt ready to do something about it. Of course, he would have to present this to Hirako, seeing as he was obviously distrusting of his Lieutenant. It was a sort of air the Captain had about him. It was almost impossible to not notice, and given Sasuke's extensive history with reading people through body language, it couldn't be more obvious. Hirako was distinctly unsettled by Aizen's presence, and Sasuke planned on using this fact to his advantage.

And so he stood, his eyes fixed into a lazy glare at his escort. The man was always one for a casual methodology, so Sasuke wasn't very surprised to find him building what looked like some form of tower out of various small bits from around his office. "It's from the Realm of the Living. They call it the Eiffel Tower. Not sure why, but it's pretty impressive." Shinji looked up from his work, that same grin he always wore still sending a wave of chills through Sasuke's spine. He'd deduced rather quickly that this particular grin was not one that could be directly attributed to Shinji's true disposition. It was purposefully misleading, and it worked astonishingly well. Sasuke had been wary of Hirako long before he'd become suspicious of Aizen.

"So, what'cha need? I've got some news from the Head Captain, but it can wait until you're finished." He spoke with an air of lightheartedness that Sasuke hadn't heard from the man before. "I have some concerns I want to discuss with you regarding your Lieutenant." As the words left Sasuke's mouth, he could see Shinji's mood change dramatically. The usually care-free Shinigami was now deadly serious. Before Sasuke could continue, Hirako raised his hand towards him, stopping Sasuke from going on. "So, you've noticed it already, have you? Good, that means I'm not the only one. Go on, then. I want to see how much you've figured out." Sasuke did so, telling him every last shred of information he'd gathered over the last week.

"I have to say, you're good. Managed to figure out more in a week than I did in a decade. But I have to say, the issue of his Zanpakuto is much more concerning than I thought it was. So, what do you think should be done?" His question came with a slight hint of desperation. Sasuke tossed the subject around for a couple of seconds. "Well, normally I'd just confront him. He's a threat that I doubt should be ignored. But, it seems that politics plays a much more major role than where I'm from. Regardless, something should definitely be done. If I can't kill him without the whole of Soul Society coming down on my head, my best bet is that we keep looking for something to arrest him for. Other than that, I don't think there's much we can do. Not to mention that you seem to be under his Zanpakuto's influence as well, so nothing you see can be readily trusted. We're not in a very good position, Hirako, and I doubt Aizen hasn't noticed our distrust. He's going to be even harder to pin down now that two of us suspect him." As Sasuke finished, the Captain stood from his desk, and began pacing around the room. He seemed to be deep in thought, so Sasuke stayed quiet, content with mulling the issue over in his own head.

After what seemed like ages, the blonde's pacing came to a stop. He looked directly at Sasuke, a small, sly smirk creeping onto his face. "How are you with stealth and infiltration?" He asked, that smirk still growing. Even before replying, Sasuke knew exactly what Shinji was going to ask of him. He allowed himself a smaller, more controlled version of that same smirk. "Good enough for what you're thinking, Hirako. When are you planning on doing this?" Shinji thought for a moment, before quickly rushing over to his desk. He opened a file that was laying on top of it, and began flipping through pages. After thumbing through a few, he stopped. He took one of the pages out and handed it to Sasuke. "Here's his night schedule. I recommend waiting until his leisure hours, as that's when he tends to leave the barracks. Take some time to look it over, I'll leave the when and how to you." Sasuke pocketed the paper, and thanked the Captain.

"Wait, one more thing before you go." Shinji called after him as he was about to make his exit. Sasuke stopped, expecting more information, or possibly a warning not to get caught. "Well, two things, actually. First, do _not_ underestimate Aizen. He may be ranked as a Lieutenant, but his skill and Reiatsu levels compare to even some of the older Captains. So no matter how strong you are, don't go picking a fight, okay?" Sasuke nodded in agreement. It would stupid of him to try and pick a fight with Aizen at this point. Sure, he might be able to kill him, but the problem with that was the fact that there was a word like 'might' in the statement. Until Sasuke could say with confidence that he knew he could kill Aizen, he didn't want to take the chance. Sure, if it were the best option, he would be more than willing take the risk, but if they could figure this out without causing a massive scene so quickly it would be more worth it in the long run.

"Secondly, I got word from the Head Captain. You're no longer required to have an escort. During leisure hours, anyway. I still have to keep a lazy eye on you until we get the all clear from Central 46. He's arguing your case as we speak, you know. You must have really gotten to him with your plea. Never seen the old man do something like this for anyone, much less an ex-Ryoka." Shinji seemed to tip-toe around the Ryoka bit. Sasuke couldn't blame him, it had become the reigning term he was known by. He rarely ever talked to other Shinigami, aside from Yoruichi and Kisuke, who he talked with fairly often, given their tight schedules. _Speaking of which, I should probably talk to them about this. I have no doubt that Kisuke sees Shinji's discomfort regarding his Lieutenant, and Yoruichi is no fool. She's bound to notice eventually, if she hasn't already._ Sasuke shook himself from his thoughts, and thanked Shinji for letting him know. After exchanging farewells, Sasuke left. He needed to begin planning, but before that, he had to run all of this by Kisuke and Yoruichi.

 _ **Two hours later…**_

"So you're planning on tailing him, eh? Sounds fun, ya know. I doubt you'll be able to convince Yoruichi not to tag along." Sasuke had just finished filling Kisuke in on the situation with Aizen. And, to his credit, the man had already known pretty much everything Sasuke told him. How? Sasuke had no idea. Why? Probably because he was bored. Kisuke seemed to do odd things like that whenever boredom struck him. He'd walked in one day to find Kisuke in the midst of researching literally every Shinigami in the Seireitei, and reciting their schedules, names, and ranks verbatim. When he asked the scientist, he'd simply replied: "Eh, didn't have anything to pass the time."

"That's the idea, yes. And I agree, it will be pretty damn hard to stop Yoruichi from trying to come along. So, do you have any thoughts as to how I should go about this? You know Shinji and his Lieutenant far better than I do." Kisuke seemed to think on it for a moment, and soon perked back up, raising his index finger in an 'ah ha!' motion. "I've got it! Okay, so Aizen is probably going to detect you regardless of how well you suppress your Reiatsu. Let's just assume that, and roll with it. If you want to tail him, your best bet is to find a way of artificially masking your own Reiatsu. Thankfully, I have already solved that problem." He got to his feet, and shed his Captain's haori. "I'll be right back." Before Sasuke could respond, Kisuke had left the room. It was mostly silent for the next few minutes, with the occasional shuffle of paper or the clack of Kisuke's geta against the floor.

"Found it!" Kisuke exclaimed. He appeared from the room he'd been in, and handed Sasuke an article of clothing. After unfolding it, he was able to gain a bit of appreciation for how interesting it was. The jacket itself was a dull grey, and looked somewhat like a slimmed down version of a Captain's haori. The material was a bit rough against his fingers, but the inside of it looked comfortable enough. While it bore no markings or symbols, there was a distinct collar that could serve to obscure one's face if needed. It struck Sasuke as exceptionally well made. "What's this?" He asked, not sure what to make of it. He caught a glimpse of pride in Kisuke's voice as he answered. "It's a Reiatsu concealing jacket that I made personally. It's designed with specifically modified trace amounts of Sekkisekki, masking the wearer's presence perfectly. I doubt that even the Head Captain could detect someone wearing this thing. It should help keep you hidden from Aizen, and it'll keep anyone from recognizing you if you're caught. Be careful with that thing, by the way. It's probably the most complex invention I've put together in a long time, and I'd rather avoid losing it. That being said, I don't want you using it willy nilly around the Seireitei. I could get into a great deal of trouble with Central 46 for making something like this, so keep it under wraps, alright?" Sasuke nodded, and was about to turn to leave when he felt Kisuke lay a hand on his shoulder from behind, and felt the air from the man's lunge breeze by his ear as Kisuke's voice dropped to little more than whisper. "Anything seriously bad happens out there, you ditch that jacket and emit as much Reiatsu as you physically can. I'll come straight to you, along with Yoruichi. Remember that." His voice was laced with concern and warning. Sasuke nodded once more, and took his leave.

Reaching into his pocket, Sasuke retrieved Aizen's night schedule. After looking it over, he folded it up and returned it. He looked to the sky, the pink evening sky telling him that the time was almost upon him. He slipped the jacket on, and began to make his was back to the 5th Division.

 _This is going to be a long night._

 _ **Hello! Back waith another chapter, and the build-up to the end of our first arc has begun! Let me know if you have any concerns, as I plan on addressing as many as I can. Next chapter is going to be about twice as long as any chapter to date, so it'll take a while to write. Also, I was wondering who you'd like to see paired with Sasuke, as I'm still unsure. Character from after the timeskip are up for recommendation as well, by the way.**_ _ **Buh Bye!!!**_


	7. To An End

Chapter 7: To An End

 _ **The Night Before...**_

Sasuke Uchiha was… an enigma. The boy was strong, and had an intellect the was quite sharp. But of course, the greatest issue with the ex-Ryoka was the fact that he was an unknown. He operated alone, and never seemed to be off-guard. His very presence in the plan threw everything into a giant cloud of unsureness.

However, Sosuke Aizen was never one to back down from a challenge. The plan would simply have to be carried out before the boy could run about on his own. Sure, that meant the process would lose valuable information and field testing, but this interference forced his hand. In the case of an unknown, Aizen would normally just negate their effect on things using Kyoka Suigetsu. Sasuke, however, somehow never managed to fall into its hypnosis. He'd tried multiple times, and with each one the Uchiha would remain unfazed. To be quite frank, it made no scientific or logical sense for the boy to be capable of resisting. It simply shouldn't have been possible.

But, that wasn't what mattered in this situation. No, the issue of 'why' had never been the important factor. It was only the 'how' and the 'when' that needed to be addressed. He'd made proper preparations, however, and Sasuke's involvement should lead to almost no change in execution of this final experiment. All that needed to be handled at this point was determining who would take the fall for all of it. The first to come to mind was one Mayuri Kurotsuchi, but after some light digging Aizen had found the perfect candidate. This man was just as scientifically inclined, and held much less of a stigma about him. No matter how this ended, once blame fell on him, Kisuke Urahara would crumble to the earth. The rest of the issues with the plan had been smoothed over quite well, thanks to Tosen's progress with Garganta. The Hollowfication would go just as well regardless of the ex-Ryoka's influence.

In fact, he could actually make for a rather interesting experiment himself. Aizen shelved that particular idea for the time being. It was something he didn't want to bother with at the moment.

For most people, panic would set in. The introduction of an unknown as dangerous and intelligent as Sasuke would have sent many into a moment of rash action. Most were not as adept at quick adaptation and re-thinking stratagems. Aizen was not most people however. He'd spent centuries perfecting his mental and physical capabilities, and this was something he had ensured he could handle, if such a situation should arise. Just because things had changed so drastically did not mean that his plan was irrelevant. All that meant was that the plan would have to be re-worked slightly.

Aizen had considered, analyzed, and made at least seven different scenarios involving the new arrival's effect on the current timeline, as well as considered various alternate timelines that could take place, within the first day of Sasuke's appearance. And, to his amusement, the boy had caught on to him far faster than Aizen had expected. He figured the boy had begun to suspect him by at least his second day in the Seireitei. There was also the boy's uncanny efficiency as a taskmaster. He'd dug up more information and inconsistencies within the last week than Hirako had in years.

Regardless, it mattered not. The boy would merely be a simple hindrance, and nothing more. Something to be dealt with at his leisure. He had decided to accelerate the final stage of the plan due to Sasuke's possible effect on Hirako's investigation. The two, should they join forces, could very well find enough circumstantial evidence to bring him before Central 46 if he let them be much longer.

Just as he finished his train of thought, which had taken him no longer than thirty seconds, he heard the sound one of the windows in the barracks of the 5th opening. He knew the source, of course, and immediately flared his Reiatsu in five small, minute intervals. This allowed him to reveal his own location without setting off any alarms, and also worked as a way to ensure one another's identities. He waited, and was soon sensed an identical flare, this time flaring nine times, from outside his door. He walked over to it, and slid it open. His eyes were met with the blank, emotionless visor that was the hallmark of none other than Kaname Tosen. He didn't speak, but Aizen knew well enough why his subordinate had come to him.

And so, a few seconds later, they were sitting in chairs AIzen had borrowed from the 5th's barracks for these very meetings. They sat in silence for several seconds, neither very pressed to begin. After what felt like about five minutes, if Aizen were to guess, Tosen began.

"I was told by Gin that there had been changes made to the plan." His implied question was heard very clearly by Aizen. 'Why didn't you inform me earlier?' Aizen nodded, and continued. "I felt that this change could not afford to wait until an official meeting of the three of us. And seeing as I am the one spearheading this operation, it was within my authority to do so. It isn't of your concern, your only purpose in this particular phase of the plan is to draw out Hirako. You know this isn't something that is time sensitive, so I wouldn't have made any changes without good reason. And I'm sure you can guess what that reason is." Tosen nodded his head in confirmation. "The ex-Ryoka. He's been digging into you and your history, from what Gin told me. Is it true that he already suspects you? I had assumed he would have no interest in Lieutenant class Shinigami. Seems this 'Sasuke' is a bit sharper than we expected."

"Yes, his intellect is far greater than I had first thought. He most likely will report his findings to Hirako tomorrow, and will likely be present when the Hollowfication takes place." Aizen stated, though he knew there was at least an eighty nine percent chance that the boy would show up. Kaname seemed to tense slightly at this, and shifted slightly in his chair. "That is… troubling. We both witnessed his performance at Yamamoto's evaluation. His physical strength is even more intimidating than Kensei's. In fact, I can't confidently say if the Head Captain could have done the same. And given his impressive deductive reasoning skills, I highly doubt things will go smoothly now that his involvement is possible." Aizen let a small, confident smile cross his lips. "No. Sasuke Uchiha will not be a prevalent issue tomorrow night. If anything, he'll only cause the process to move along more quickly. You see, Tosen, this is a matter of manipulation. I need not to outsmart our new adversary, if I can force him to become an asset without the boy noticing until it's already too late. By the time he realizes he'd been played, he won't even be able to save himself, much less his friends. Oh, I assume tonight's operation went well?" Kaname did not respond verbally, instead merely nodding his head. "Ah, that's good. The search party should be called for by tomorrow evening. It gives us even more time to prepare, since the Head Captain will be busy arguing with Central 46 over Sasuke's fate. Normally he'd have called a search party within the hour. This is shaping to go even better than I might have hoped. You did restrain dear Kensei, didn't you? I don't want any more deaths in the Rukongai just yet."

"Yes, he's been restrained. I ensured that his soul was mostly stable, and he should make until Shinji and the others arrive at the scene. Why are you so sure Sasuke will show?" Aizen's smile now grew to a knowing smirk. "Because, dear Kaname, I know exactly what the boy's next move is going to be. It is an absolute certainty that Hirako will give Sasuke my night schedule, and it's easy to infer that he will recommend my leisure hours. The boy will then go to Kisuke Urahara, and there is a distinct possibility that he'd have made something in that lab of his that will aid Sasuke in avoiding detection. Though, that is not something that matters. He will tail me, and witness the Hollowfication take place. After that he will confront me, at which time you will activate your Bankai and end him. Seeing as people are going to think you to be dead, there isn't a logical way for him to have any method of defending against it. If he does, I will handle him." Aizen finished by leaning back in his chair, his smirk having grown even wider.

"I believe the Realm of the Living refers to this particular situation as… 'Checkmate.'"

 _ **The next evening, with Sasuke…**_

He's just arrived at the 5th when he'd run into Hirako. The man seemed shaken, and had an air of seriousness about him that Sasuke had never seen from him in the past. He'd told Sasuke that all of the highest ranking members of the 9th Division, including their Captain, Kensei Muguruma, had vanished. Apparently they'd been sent out the previous night to perform some search and rescue in the Rukongai, and never returned. It didn't really matter to Sasuke, seeing as he'd never really conversed with anyone from the 9th, but Shinji had seemed extremely anxious and worried. When he'd asked if his assistance would be needed, Shinji had declined, saying that he wanted Sasuke to continue with the plan. He'd agreed, of course, but the whole situation was… questionable, to say the least. There was no doubt a connection between Aizen and this situation, but Sasuke didn't want to impede an investigation until he knew more. So, he contented himself with his current task, and moved on.

So he sat, hidden in the upper branches of a tree just outside the entrance to the 5th Division barracks. It seemed to be mid-spring, as the leaves were filling in just enough to provide cover from any onlookers. He'd been there for several minutes, his Sharingan activated so that he could quickly identify any passing Shinigami. He silently thanked Kisuke for the jacket, as he wouldn't have had the option of using his eyes without it. The problem with the Sharingan was that it didn't just raise his maximum Reiatsu, but also simultaneously raised his minimum Reiatsu level as well. This meant that Sasuke couldn't suppress his power beyond a certain point, which was generally about Captain level. Sadly, his Mangekyou was still not the best option, as it raised his base Reiatsu to levels that, from what Yoruichi told him, would have forced even the oldest of Captains into activating their Shikai.

Sasuke was snapped from his train of thought when his eyes caught sight of a familiar face. He focused on the man, and all doubt vanished from his mind. Aizen walked by the tree, not even glancing in it's direction. Sasuke immediately began to follow, switching from one area of shadow to the other. The Shinigami never so much as peeked over his shoulder.

Sasuke continued to stalk the Lieutenant for several minutes, never once allowing the man to leave his sight. The sun had set, at this point, and Sasuke was beginning to become very concerned. He had only just realized that they were moving away from the center of the Seireitei. Which, in all likelihood, meant that Aizen was heading toward the Rukongai. He considered stopping, as he could more than likely tail Aizen another day, before being suddenly struck by a realization. _Hirako and the others… they were going to the Rukongai, and given Shinji's disposition earlier… This is a trap! Aizen knew they'd come to find Kensei and the others, so he set it all up as bait. Clever bastard._ He began to follow Aizen with renewed vigor. He may not be a part of this society, but he would be damned if he allowed them to die when he could help it.

He tailed Aizen for what seemed like the next hour. He'd nearly blown his cover when they reached the outer gate, but managed to improvise and slip past the gatekeeper. He could swear the goliath's name was something like Jibando. Not that it mattered, of course. Sasuke hadn't expected Aizen to go so damn far from the Seireitei. They'd been going in a nearly straight line for ages, and had been traversing untamed forests for several minutes more. Through the trees, Sasuke spotted a clearing not too far ahead. Before he actually reached the clearing, Sasuke was suddenly hit by a massive downpour of Reiatsu. The shear weight of it made Sasuke's ankles wobble, and his breathing became shallow. He found a decent lookout point atop a medium sized tree, and took several seconds to adjust to the massive wave of various Reiatsu signatures bearing down on him at once. Once he felt normal, he looked into the clear, and his heart nearly stopped.

There, in the middle of the clearing, was the missing Captain of the 9th Division, with various white bone-like plates adorning him. On his face was a mask. Sasuke, having been told of them by Kisuke, knew that the mask on Muguruma's face resembled a Hollow's. In fact, Sasuke was half convinced that this was exactly the case, as the Captain's Reiatsu had a very distinct difference from that of a normal Shinigami. While most Shinigami could be described as having a certain… signature to their Reiatsu, the 9th Division Captain was completely chaotic. It was as if all control the man once held over his power had vanished, replaced by unchecked, untamed bloodlust.

The Captain was currently in combat with a Lieutenant Sasuke knew to be named 'Lisa Yadomaru,' and the battle was obscenely one-sided. Sure, Lisa's skills were nothing to be ashamed of, but she couldn't hope to defeat a powerful, bloodlusted, Captain class fighter. Just Lisa was about to be dealt what Sasuke assumed was a fatal blow, he spotted Hirako using Shunpo to get between the two of them. Shinji seemed pressed to keep Muguruma from breaking through the block, so he disengaged, and began to go on the offensive, slashing and jabbing at the berserker Captain. To Sasuke's surprise, Kensei was able to block or dodge nearly every attack Shinji attempted, and was able to counterattack quickly and efficiently. Off to the left, Sasuke was able to spot Kensei's Lieutenant, Mashiro Kuna, locked in battle with Kisuke's Lieutenant, Hiyori Sarugaki. Mashiro, to Sasuke's detriment, was in a similar situation to her Captain. That same hollow-like mask, the erratic and bloodlusted Reiatsu. It was at this point that Sasuke was about to intervene, when a man Sasuke had yet to meet appeared in the clearing, near the battle between Mashiro and Hiyori. He raised his hands, and shouted. "Bakudo #75: Gochutekkan!" Five massive pillars of stone materialized, and slammed down onto Mashiro with so much force that Sasuke could feel the shockwave from his tree. With Mashiro now unconscious, the man blurred across the field, using Shunpo, and stopped just out of Kensei's range. He held up a single hand, and shouted once more. "Bakudo #63: Sajo Sabaku!" A tendril of golden chains instantly wrapped violently around Muguruma chest, restraining him. But, to the Shinigami's dismay, the chain was only temporary, as a single flare of the Captain's augmented Reiatsu snapped the chains like _twine_. The others seemed to marvel at this display, and Sasuke cursed under his breath at their lapse in focus. Kensei phased out of sight, quickly appearing behind the other blonde that had accompanied Shinji. Sasuke recalled that Hirako had referred to him as 'Rose.' Regardless, the sight of another Captain gave Sasuke some hope that they'd be victorious. Kensei slammed his fist into the Captain's back, knocking him nearly across the field. The others reengaged Muguruma, but they were mounting injuries quickly. Sasuke immediately shed the jacket, and leapt from his tree.

When he hit the ground, Sasuke did a quick scan of the clearing. Mashiro was incapacitated, and Lisa seemed on the verge of falling as well. Other than that, the only ones with serious injury were Rose and Captain Aikawa. Sasuke hadn't noticed the man at first, but was grateful for another Captain being with them. He dashed forward, intent on delivering a debilitating slash to the back of Kensei's knee. Before his Chokuto could make contact he was forced to disengage, throwing his body to the left as Kensei's fist flew past his face a mach speeds. Sasuke was quick to counter, flipping his Chokuto into a reverse grip and slicing down the length of the man's arm. Blood speckled his face, but he didn't allow it to stop his momentum. He dropped to his left hand, using his legs to lock around Muguruma's lower left leg. He applied a significant amount of pressure to the front of his shin and the back of his knee simultaneously, resulting in the Captain's leg buckling, which sent him to the ground. Sasuke was about to deliver a final blow, when he heard Shinji shout at him. "Get back!" Sasuke trusted the command, and leapt backwards. As he disengaged, he watched as the round man that had incapacitated Mashiro closed that distance in turn. He held both hands out to his sides, and slammed them together. "Bakudo #99: Kin!" Kensei's arms were suddenly wrenched behind his back, and a black material began to lock them in place. Once they were secured, several spike slammed into the space between Muguruma's arms, pinning the binding in place.

Sasuke and the others were cautious for several seconds, unsure if Kensei would be able to break the Bakudo. The Captain struggled, flaring his Reiatsu and writhing on the ground for several minutes before anyone felt confident enough to speak. "You think it'll hold, Hachi?" Shinji asked, turning to face the man who had cast the Bakudo. "I should hope so. If he begins to break free, I should be able to cast Bankin. There's no way that Kensei is going to break out that Bakudo, but I'm pretty sure we won't have to resort to it." Shinji nodded as he listened, keeping a very close eye on Kensei. After listening to Hachi, Hirako looked up, staring Sasuke directly in the eyes. "I thought I told you to finish the plan. Regardless, I'm impressed with how you handled that. Not many can engage a Captain like Kensei with so much control and focus. I imagine you were quite the fighter, back when you were alive. Anyways, where's Aizen?" He asked, his tone switching within the blink of an eye. Sasuke thought for a moment, and realized that he'd lost track of Aizen during the commotion. "I'm not sure. I followed him here, and he just sort of vanished during the chaos. Be on guard, I doubt he would come out here just to obse-" Before Sasuke could finish, the group was surprised to here Hiyori cry out. Shinji, who had been standing beside her, turned to face the girl. Before anyone could so much as blink, Hiyori had lashed out with her sword, slicing Shinji deeply across the shoulder. He recoiled, and as everyone was about to act, Sasuke suddenly found his entire perception of the world around him cut to black.

He did a full three hundred and sixty degree rotation, hoping to see something, but was met with nothing but inky blackness. Sasuke was then hit by the instinct to _move_. He did, rolling to his left, and remaining in a crouched position. He activated his Mangekyou Sharingan, and suddenly he was struck with two sights. The first, was the outlines of several bodies. Their Reiatsu signatures told Sasuke that one of them was Hirako. The second, was three separate Reiatsu signatures, one of which was only a few feet away from him with their Zanpakuto drawn. They seemed to be stuck in place, as if transfixed by something. The one closest to him began to move, his blade slashing at Sasuke again. He sidestepped the attack, instantly rounding on the man with his Chokuto. His opponent barely managed to block the attack, letting Sasuke's blade slide off of his own as he made to swipe at his legs. Sasuke leapt into the air, slinging himself into a horizontal rotation. As he came back to face his attacker, he lashed out with his Chokuto, the built-up momentum slamming into the man's guard. The sudden pressure proved to be too much, and the man was slung halfway across the clearing. His landing was rough, and he skidded across the ground for several feet before coming to a stop. The man didn't move for a few seconds, but eventually began to drag himself back to his feet. But, Sasuke was merciless, and was on the man within seconds. He led with an overhead slash, which the man stepped out of range of. He followed up with a stab aimed for the man's lung, but the strike was deflected. He continued to press his opponent, eating up the man's space and forcing him to lose room for dodging. Sasuke didn't allow even a millisecond to go wasted, each movement thought out with speed and precision. He went low, swiping at the man's knees. His adversary made to block, but Sasuke disengaged that attack and slung his body around, slamming a kick into the man's temple. There was a concussive shockwave, and the man was sent flying into a tree to their right. This time he didn't get back up.

As Sasuke turned to face the other two, he realized that whatever had clouded his senses before had vanished. He was suddenly met by the sound of someone… chuckling? His eyes darted around the area, and he instantly locked eyes with a laughing Sosuke Aizen. His laughter soon died out, replaced by a warm smile. "I must say, I certainly wasn't expecting this! You were not only able to fight despite the effect of Tosen's Bankai, but you also managed to defeat the man! You're certainly more interesting than I first thought. But," His gaze shifted from a smile to a completely emotionless stare. "It would seem that is an experiment for another day. We have company, after all." Sasuke's eyes flicked to his right, where the sound of a Shunpo had alerted him.

Standing there were three people. The first two Sasuke was able to instantly recognized as Kisuke and Yoruichi. The other was not nearly as familiar. Before Sasuke could address them, he was suddenly hit with a wave of nausea. He stumbled for a few seconds before collapsing. As his consciousness faded, Sasuke was able to make out a massive flash of blue light before everything went dark.

 **BOOM!!! The climax of the first arc has taken place! Tell me what you think of the fight scene, and I'm still looking for suggestions as to which pairing to go for with Sasuke. Well, I suppose that's all for now.** **Buh-Bye!!!**


	8. Repercussions

Chapter 8: Repercussions

Sasuke stirred, his eyes snapping open and darting back and forth. Within an instant he was on his feet, with his Chokuto half-drawn. Before he could soundly deduce what was happening, a voice began to shout at him. "Sasuke! Calm down, we're not here to hurt you! Just chill out for a second, alright?!" His eyes locked onto the figure yelling at him, and his guard lowered. Yoruichi stood, her hands stretched out to her sides in a defensive stance. "What the hell is going on, Yoruichi? Did you and Kisuke stop him?" When he said that last bit, Yoruichi seemed to slacken her stance slightly, and her wide eyes relaxed, taking on a mourning stare. Sasuke walked closer, his brow furrowing. "Yoruichi?" He took one last step, his anger beginning to slip. "What. Happened?" There was a low growl in his voice, and Yoruichi dropped her stance. She seemed to struggle to find the right words.

"We… we lost, Sasuke. Really, really badly. Tessai and Kisuke were arrested this morning, and I barely got you and the others away from Central 46. Aizen had a backup. I don't know what it was, but somehow he convinced everyone that he'd been talking with Captain Ukitake when everything went down, and for some damn reason he corroborated Aizen's story. He… he must have done something to Ukitake, Sasuke, and I have no idea what." At this point Sasuke was seething with rage. He immediately began to walk away from Yoruichi, his fists clenched so tightly that blood was seeping from his palm. The moment something came within his reach, he lashed out with his fist. The impact sent an explosion of Reiatsu ripping into the air around him, shredding the dirt beneath him. He didn't slow in the slightest, and as his anger magnified he felt a very… _wrong_ sensation within him.

Before Sasuke could ponder the feeling, his knees buckled underneath him, and he suddenly felt as though the fires of the sun had incinerated his insides. He let a guttural roar escape his lungs, and a voice that was not his own was all that he heard. It was as if someone had taken his voice and run it through a meat-grinder.

Then, Sasuke was struck with the sensation that he was falling. By the time he could assess what was happening, he found himself in a very strange place. Instead of the desert-like setting he'd found himself in before, he was surrounded by an endless expanse of red sky. No floor, and no scenery aside from the crimson sun which cast a bloody glow upon the world. He decided to take a step forward, and, to his surprise, the air seemed to solidify beneath his feet. He shrugged it off, and continued to analyze his surroundings.

As he marveled at the landscape, he was suddenly hit by a powerful blow to his side. He landed shoulder first, and skidded for several meters after that. He leapt to his feet, brushing off the disorientation quickly, and looked up at his attacker. _Or two, it would seem…_ Standing before him were two people. One was a tall, white haired woman with eyes of vermillion red. She wore a simple kimono, and at her side was a sheathed daito.

The other was a man closer to Sasuke's height, garbed in a lightly shredded white shihakusho. His eyes were… stange. The sclera were as black as the flames of Amaterasu, and his irises were a similar shade of red to the woman's. The woman was the first to speak, and her voice seemed to echo throughout the area. "I've been waiting quite a while for you to finally visit, Sasuke. This… intruder seems to have pulled you here. I understand you may have questions for me, but please, _eliminate_ this creature first. It makes me sick to think such a vile beast has infected you." Despite not exactly understanding what was happening, Sasuke felt very inclined to believe her. His eyes flicked to the man standing beside her, and widened when the man's lips twisted into a vicious grin. _**"I hope yer ready, kid. I don't take to kindly ta being pushed down. This is my body now, ya hear? And I will break you to get that message through your thick skull!"**_ Before Sasuke could say anything, the man phased out of sight, a small sonic boom following his movement. Sasuke immediately drew his Chokuto, spinning around to block a heavy overhead strike. The instant their blades met, Sasuke followed the clash up with a kick, which the man blocked with his forearm. Sasuke continued to go on the offensive, slashing in several different directions with as much speed as he could muster. To his surprise, the man seemed to keep perfect pace with him, dodging every single strike flawlessly. The man twisted around a diagonal slash, and countered with a precise jab to Sasuke's side. The strike hit home, and Sasuke was forced to leap backwards in order to gain some distance.

His opponent vanished from sight again, the low buzz giving Sasuke just enough warning to drop to one knee, avoiding what would have been a decapitating slash from his left. He shifted his weight to his left hand, and kicked out with his left leg, nailing the man in his stomach. Sasuke used the moment of recoil to go on the offensive once more. This time, however, he activated his Sharingan. The boost in reaction time allowed him to start predicting the man's movements through reading the slight twitches of his muscles. He managed to land a powerful slice to his adversary's shoulder, and followed that up with a hard kick to his knee. The man lost his balance for a split second, and Sasuke took advantage of it by slamming another kick into the man's chest. The sudden impact catapulted him through the air, and caused him to roll for a few feet after landing. Sasuke instantly gave chase, intent on impaling the man into the ground before he could react. To his dismay, the man had vanished from his landing location. He whipped his head around, trying to spot him. Before he could get eyes on the man, he was suddenly hit with an immense pain in his chest. He looked down, only to see what looked like his own Chokuto sticking out of the place where his left lung should be. His response was the immediate activation of his Rinnegan.

Faster than the eye could register, he teleported behind the man, and slashed with his Chokuto. The blade ripped into his attacker's back, black blood spraying Sasuke's face. He didn't stop, grabbing the man by his hair and slamming his knee into the small of his opponent's back. Feeling a bone shatter, Sasuke ripped the man backward, before flinging him over his shoulder. Before the man could even hit the ground, Sasuke vanished, reappearing in the man's path. He lifted his Chokuto, and the man's body slid onto the blade. Sasuke twisted his blade while it was inside the man, allowing the momentum of being thrown add to the damage of the stab. He kicked the man's stunned body off of his blade, and walked up to where his opponent was attempting to stand. Before the man could reach his feet, Sasuke slammed his hands together, using his Sharingan to mimic what he'd seen the previous night. "Bakudo #99: Kin!" He roared, and the bindings of the Bakudo restrained the man. He struggled for a few seconds, before giving up. _**"That's cheatin, ya bastard! Let me go, right now, and fight me like a man!"**_ Sasuke didn't respond, instead lifting his Chokuto to be level with the man's throat. _**"I'm fuckin warning you, kid, if you don't let me fight back right now, I swear I will rip your Inner World to SHREDS!!!"**_ Sasuke ignored him, and pushed his blade through the man's throat until the hilt of his Chokuto met his skin. His opponent tried to speak again, but the amount of blood clogging his throat, coupled with the blade planted in his neck, made what actually came out sound like nothing but a garbled mess. Sasuke withdrew his Chokuto, blood coating the blade completely.

He walked back over to the woman, the man's corpse turning to dust as he left the battlefield. The woman seemed unfazed by the scene that had played out before her, and was smiling brightly as Sasuke returned. "Thank you, Sasuke. I'm eternally grateful that you didn't allow for that… _thing_ , to ravage this place." Her voice was laced with elation, and Sasuke couldn't help but appreciate how genuine her words were. "It was nothing. Anyways, mind telling what exactly this place is?" The woman perked up, seeming to have been struck by a realization. "Oh! That's right, I forget this is your first visit. This, Sasuke, is your Inner World. Coming here normally takes extensive meditation and soul-searching. You, however, were forced here by the Hollow you just subjugated. This means you should be able to come back whenever your wish, and you'll be able to begin the process of turning that Chokuto of yours into a proper Zanpakuto." Sasuke was, for lack of a better term, dumbstruck. He'd never even considered the possibility of obtaining Shinigami abilities, and the fact that the option was being handed to him on a silver platter left him unsure of what to say. "So… you're saying that I can become a Shinigami? How is that even possible?" The woman seemed quite amused at Sasuke's confusion, chuckling lightly for a few seconds. "It's possible because the only difference between a Shinigami and a normal Soul is that a Shinigami has learned to enter their Inner World, and has obtained an Asauchi. As it turns out, your Chokuto was actually forged in a very similar fashion. Since you were alive, it never was able to be imprinted upon by your Soul. But, it was always capable of becoming a Zanpakuto. You just never learned how to do it. Thanks to that Hollow, you've already gained access to your Inner World, and I doubt it'll take you long to be able to hear my name." She seemed quite hopeful when she said the last bit, but Sasuke was still slightly confused. "What do you mean, 'hear your name?' Shouldn't I be able to hear it anyway?" The woman, who Sasuke could only assume to be his Zanpakuto Spirit, shook her head. "No, you won't be able to hear it, nor can you read my lips to discern my name. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure when you'll be able to hear me, but I won't lose hope. Also, you should probably get going. Yoruichi is probably scared to death right now, you know. Hopefully your little battle didn't affect the outside world too much." She giggled as she finished. Sasuke, however, was concerned. "Wait, you mean that I might have caused damage outside? I thought what happens in ones Inner World couldn't affect the outside world?" He asked, worried that he may have crushed the weakened Shinigami with Yoruichi. His Zanpakuto Spirit answered.

"Normally, you'd be correct. But, that Hollow caused a great deal of chaos in here. It threw your Soul's makeup out of focus, but you seem to have evened things out for the time being. If anything did happen out there, I doubt Yoruichi would have let you harm Shinji and the others." Sasuke sighed in relief, and sheathed his Chokuto. "I suppose it's time I left, then. I'm glad I was able to meet you, even if it was in dire circumstances." He gave a small bow, expressing his gratitude. The woman laughed a bit, her smile even brighter than before. "Likewise, Sasuke. I expect you to come back once everything calms down out there, because I need to start teaching you how to truly use my blade." Before Sasuke to comment further, he was stuck by the feeling of being lifted into the air. The woman below him waved, and Sasuke's perception went black.

Sasuke opened his eyes, the feeling of loose pebbles stabbing into his cheek prompting him to raise his head and look around. He looked up to see where he was, only to be met with the sight of Kisuke, his Zanpakuto drawn. Sasuke tried to stand, only to be met with some form of binding keeping him from rising to his feet. Kisuke seemed cautious, taking a step away from Sasuke. "You alright, kid? You gave us quite a bit of trouble, ya know. Forced both me and Tessai to use Bankin to keep you down. I hope you understand if I can't let you go just yet. We need to be sure that you won't go berserk again." Sasuke nodded, though he didn't understand at all. Berserk? What the hell happened out here? He got his answer when he look over Urahara's shoulder.

It looked like Deidara's C-Zero had gone off in this place. There was a large central crater, which Sasuke was on the edge of. Around that were hundreds of smaller, shallower craters. Various different scars lined the battlefield, and Sasuke was surprised to see several bloodstains in the immediate area. His eyes snapped back to Kisuke, his concern building quickly. "What did I do, Kisuke? Is everyone alright?! For the love of Indra, don't tell me I ki-"

"No!" Kisuke shouted, stopping Sasuke from continuing. "You didn't kill anyone. Sure, you put one hell of a beating down on myself and Yoruichi, but you didn't do anything _too_ absurd. We're lucky Tessai was here, otherwise you'd have snapped my Bankin like a rubber band. Follow me, the others are waiting upstairs." Sasuke felt the Bakudo restraining him vanish, and he got to his feet. Kisuke had already begun to walk away, so Sasuke had to jog a bit to keep up. He looked over at Urahara, still worried. "So… what did happen, anyway? I don't remember any of it." The man chuckled a bit before responding. "Well, you Hollowfied, that's what happened. Yoruichi came and freed me and Tessai, then dragged us back to the training ground at top speed. By the time we got here, you were already halfway through the Hollowfication process. You ended up being too strong to beat without using Bakudo, and even then you ripped through everything we tried until Tessai and I used Bankin simultaneously. I think you might have been able to break that, too, but it looks like you were able to stop it before things got _really_ bad. Oh, and you might want to take that mask off. It's a bit unsettling, after all." Sasuke instinctively reached up to feel his face, and was surprised to feel not skin, but a smooth, bone-like plating covering his face. He hadn't even noticed it before, it felt so natural. In fact, he'd even mistaken it for his actual cheek when he first woke up. He grabbed the edge of the mask, and removed it. He flipped it over in his hand, and was struck with a wave of nostalgia by what he saw.

The mask itself was fairly simple. The design was similar to the mask Obito had worn during his tenure as 'Tobi,' though this mask was stark white, with a jaw and sharpened teeth running across it. It also had two eye-holes, instead of one. He tossed the mask from one hand to another, deciding that he liked the design quite a bit. Urahara chuckled as he watched Sasuke admire the thing, and shook his head. "I guess _you_ wouldn't be very freaked out by a Hollow mask. We should see if you gained anything from that, you know. Could be interesting to see if it affected your abilities in any way." Sasuke nodded in agreement. "Say, what happened to your Chokuto? I don't remember it having a crossguard before." Sasuke reached for his blade, and drew it.

Kisuke was right. The hilt of his weapon had indeed changed, and dramatically so. Before it had been completely bare bones. No crossguard, nor any pommel to speak of. Now, however, it had a skeletonized crossguard shaped almost exactly like the mark of the Uchiha Clan. It was also bound in purple cloth, providing for a more secure grip. While it bore no pommel, Sasuke spotted a small inscription upon the base of the hilt. It was tiny carving of his unique Rinnegan. He looked back to Kisuke, who was analyzing the hilt as well. "I was inside of my Inner World. Apparently my Chokuto was forged by a method extremely similar to that of Asauchi, and it allowed my Soul to imprint on it. I also met my Zanpakuto Spirit while I was there, Kisuke." Urahara looked up from the Sasuke's Zanpakuto, his eyes as wide as dinner plates. "Well… that was certainly unexpected. I can't say I'm surprised, though. You were going to end up visiting your Inner World at some point. What I _didn't_ expect was for your Chokuto to be a pseudo-Zanpakuto. I can't say I've ever heard of one like it before, and I certainly didn't think it would manifest so quickly. Well, I suppose I should fill you in on what's been happening, shouldn't I?" Kisuke ran a hand through his hair, the stress of what happened obviously weighing down on him.

"We've been exiled from Soul Society. Aizen got away with _everything_ , and you've been framed for attempting to murder Kaname Tosen. Means if you ever go back to the Seireitei, expect the Sokyoku to be armed and ready. Shinji, Kensei, and all of the other Shinigami who were forced into Hollowfication have been deemed as unfit for duty, and are to be killed on sight. I was accused of being the one behind everything, so they'll be actively hunting me down for the next twenty five years. Tessai was dishonorably discharged from the Kido Corps, and decided to help us instead of just living out the rest of his life in the Maggot's Nest. And Yoruichi is guilty of aiding in our escape, so she's been exiled as well. Right now we're about five hundred Spirit Miles from the furthest edge of the Rukongai, in a secret training ground I created about one hundred years ago. Its edges are constructed with Sekkisekki, so we won't be detected by Soul Society unless something big happens." Sasuke was stunned. Never had he expected things to go this badly. This wasn't just the worst case scenario, this was the worst out of any worst case scenario he'd ever considered. They were completely and utterly _fucked_.

"So what are we going to do?" He asked. He was honestly stumped. They couldn't do anything to fix this. They couldn't reason with Central 46, and they certainly couldn't reason with the Head Captain. Plus, Aizen had the entirety of Soul Society under his thumb, so any attempt at returning would be met with _extreme_ resistance. Kisuke seemed to ponder the thought for a moment, before sighing. "The only thing we can do to ensure our survival is to leave. Sure, we can hide out here until we get our heads straight, but Soul Society _will_ stumble onto this place eventually. The only place they won't find us is in the Realm of the Living. And even then, it'll be dangerous to do anything but twiddle our thumbs until I can make another one of these in the Living World." He gestured to the training ground. "But," He continued. " _You_ have a few more options than the rest of us. While we're all widely known and highly ranked Shinigami, barely any Shinigami that aren't Captain-level will recognize you. You'll be able to move around in public without being noticed, and you'll be able to keep tabs on the Shinigami's movements in the World of the Living. This way the rest of us can stay in the loop, and we'll know if anything major happens." Sasuke agreed. His anonymity would be a valuable asset in the future, and though he was absolutely livid with their current situation, he needed to start thinking realistically. "What happened to Shinji and the others? Are they alright?" To his relief, Kisuke nodded. "They'll be alright. They haven't gone through the same process that you just woke up from, but I doubt it will be long before it happens to them as well. I trust you'll help with damage control, when that happens?" Sasuke nodded, and was about to ask something when Kisuke grabbed his shoulder. "We're here. The place is mostly empty, so I hope you don't mind sitting on the floor." He pushed open the door in front of them, and Sasuke's eyes flicked from one Shinigami to the next, taking a quick head count of everyone in the room. Shinji threw up a hand in greeting. "Hey, Sasuke! Good to see you made it out alive. Had me a little worried, there." Sasuke returned the wave, before being whacked over the head by something heavy. "Damn it, Sasuke! I thought you going to die, you moron!" He looked up, and saw that Yoruichi was holding a plank of wood in her hands, and she seemed very angry with him.

What followed was, for all intents and purposes, a meet and greet with the rest of the Shinigami that had been screwed over by Aizen. While Sasuke had met Aikawa in the past, he hadn't talked with him very much, and was surprised to find that the man was very laid-back and carefree. He didn't talk with Aikawa for as long as the others, but was pretty confident that the man would be reliable in the future. After that, he'd talked a bit with Rose, and Sasuke could safely say that they'd probably get along quite well. He was far more laid back than Aikawa, and tended to mention music at nearly every opportunity. Sasuke wasn't very familiar with most of Rose's topics of interest, so their conversation died off fairly quickly. Next, he'd pissed off Hiyori, who he'd met several times during his visits to the 12th Division. She'd tried to get the jump on him with a drop kick, but Sasuke had dodged it. That had set her off, and she spent the rest of the time trying to catch him off guard. While he didn't particularly like her, she knew when to take things seriously, and could handle herself in combat, so he didn't mind her too much.

Kensei was probably the one Sasuke respected the most out of them. He was a serious, down to earth man, who had a bit of a temper. His knowledge of hand to hand combat was extensive, and he reminded Sasuke of Gai, if Gai didn't turn literally _everything_ into a dramatic moment. In short, he and Kensei talked for quite a while about combat, and Sasuke was positive that he'd make a powerful ally. The same could not be said for Mashiro, however. The girl was like a younger Sakura, if you took all of Sakura's ridiculous quirks and multiplied them by _ten_. She was childish, annoying, and most of all, she didn't seem to be able to take something seriously if her life _actually_ depended on it. This was a sentiment that was shared by Kensei, though he seemed to be more amused by Mashiro at this point than anything. Safe to say, Sasuke did _not_ like Mashiro.

Lisa Yadomaru was a woman the Sasuke couldn't quite figure out. She was quiet, rarely speaking unless spoken to, and tended to shy away from conversation. He didn't blame her, though. He'd been the same way as a child, and to this day he wasn't the biggest fan of talking to people. Unlike Sasuke, however, she seemed to change completely once she actually started talking. While she didn't get annoyingly chatty, she did open up considerably. She seemed to keep herself at a distance, though, never discussing her personal life or anything of the sort. Regardless, Sasuke enjoyed their conversation, however brief it was.

The next person Sasuke had talked to was Hachi. He was apparently Tessai's second in command before everything happened. He was a fairly subservient person, and was extremely kind-hearted. While they didn't talk for long, Sasuke was sure he would be able to rely on the man.

After about half an hour, Kisuke began to settle everyone down. He called the group down to the training ground, hushing them and practically shoving them inside. Once they'd gotten to the floor, Kisuke spoke. "Looks like Mayuri left a tracking Kido on me. I got rid of it the moment I noticed the thing, but Soul Society know exactly where we are now. That means we don't have time to get our priorities straight anymore. Take these, they'll conceal your Reiatsu once we make it to the World of the Living." He handed each of them a small orb, labeled 'Gigai' in bright red writing. Sasuke hadn't seen the term before, but attributed that to a lack of knowledge. He'd spent most of his time digging into Aizen, and didn't bother looking into much else. He pocketed it, and made a mental note to ask Kisuke how the thing worked. The man walked over to Sasuke, holding a medium sized box. "You'll be needing this more than I ever will. Consider it my personal apology for getting you into this mess." He hand the box to Sasuke, and stepped back a few paces. "Alright, everyone, time to get out of here. I'm opening the Senkaimon in thirty seconds, and we'll to move quickly. Don't want the Cleaner catching us off guard, eh?" Sasuke heard Shinji chuckle to his left. Urahara either didn't notice, or didn't care. He began the process of opening the gate, and after exactly thirty seconds, two semi-circular doors appeared from thin air. Sasuke couldn't even begin to imagine how this process actually worked, but it didn't matter. It was their method of escape, and that was all he cared about. "Alright, everyone, let's move! I just felt the Kido barrier I placed around the area shatter, so we need to move, now!" The second the doors to the Senkaimon opened, the Shinigami instantly entered via Shunpo. Sasuke was a bit slower, having never learned the technique. As he crossed into the Dangai, he was able to hear the Head Captain shout his name before the doors sealed shut.

And so the outcasts began their journey, unsure of what fate awaited them…

 _END OF THE 'ARRIVAL' ARC_

 **And so the first arc of this story comes to a close. I hope you enjoyed this journey as much as I have.** **Now, I need to address some Reviewer questions.**

 **Danish76, I'm afraid that you've greatly underestimated my Aizen's intelligence. He always has a backup, and will not hesitate to change that backup should the opportunity arise. By the way, you were the direct inspiration for the Aizen pov in the last chapter, and gave me a perfect idea for the pairing of this story. So, I thank you for your continued support and advice for this story. If you ever have any questions regarding the future of this story, please pm me.**

 **Scaunders, I believe your question has been answered with this chapter.**

 **I believe that's all of the questions I can see in the review section. If you have any questions, please either leave a review or pm me.**


	9. Settling In

Arc II, Chapter 1: Settling In

 ** _1910, 100 years before Rukia's arrival in Karakura Town..._**

The next few days went by without much of note. Sasuke had elected to stay with Kisuke, in a small shop the man had set up the day they'd arrived. The others, however, had moved on in search of a more secluded location. Sasuke and Kisuke weren't alone, however. Staying with them were Yoruichi and Tessai. The rest of the Shinigami had claimed that the shop was far too cramped to accommodate all of them, and Sasuke was inclined to agree. There was barely enough room in the place as it was. After that, he'd spent pretty much all of his time becoming accustomed to this reality, as its history and customs varied greatly from those of the Elemental Nations.

For example, this world had been subject to literally _thousands_ of wars. In fact, Sasuke had stopped reading books regarding these conflict simply because of how trivial and stupid they were. It was like these people couldn't agree on _anything_. He'd spent about an hour educating himself on the more important aspects of this world, and with the use of his Sharingan he'd learned enough to get by.

Next, he'd gone about learning to use a Gigai. That had been simple enough, and Kisuke had made the thing completely Reiatsu concealing. It was essentially a physical shell that his Soul could inhabit for an extended period of time. When he'd heard about this, he'd nearly broken into an actual _smile_. He'd deduced quickly that the reason he couldn't seem to use any form of Ninjutsu was due to the fact that the physical energy that his body had supplied was no longer present. He'd hoped that the Gigai would allow for him to start using actual Ninjutsu again.

Sadly, this was not the case. When he'd asked Kisuke about it, the man had said that the physical energy Sasuke spoke of simply didn't exist in this world. Instead, any abilities would have to be re-worked with pure Reiryoku. This process, as simple as it sounded to Sasuke at the time, had proved to be not only exceptionally complex and tedious, but also managed to bore him to the point of sleep. Despite this, he'd made decent progress. While he couldn't do anything even close to actual Ninjutsu, he'd discovered that it was possible to manipulate Kido spells. When Kisuke had told him this, Sasuke immediately had Urahara show him every single Kido spell the man knew. Which, to Sasuke's elation, meant all of them. He'd had his Sharingan active, of course. Since he had been able to mimic the second most powerful Bakudo in the Shinigami arsenal with it, using it to learn the rest had been child's play. It had been quite amusing to witness Kisuke's reaction to a boy, who hadn't even been a Shinigami for a week, learn and master every Kido spell in existence within _three hours_. The man, after muttering something about 'damn prodigy children,' had then asked Sasuke if he was interested in learning Shunpo. Sasuke had said yes, of course, and within five minutes he'd managed to master the technique to a point of comfortability. Kisuke had been rather dumbstruck by how quickly Sasuke was able to learn the ability, saying that it shouldn't have been possible. Sasuke didn't say anything, instead letting the confusion eat away at the man.

Originally he'd only planned on learning Kido, but mastering the Shinigami high-speed movement technique was certainly a bonus. With his new knowledge of Kido, Sasuke had set to work, hoping to replicate his old Ninjutsu using manipulated Kido. His results were coming slowly, and Sasuke doubted he'd be able to use any of those abilities for quite a while.

At the moment he was sitting atop the belltower of Karakura Town, reflecting on his afterlife thus far. When he'd first arrived in Soul Society, it had taken him some time to decide what he was going to do. His entire life had been dedicated towards revenge in one form or another. It was something integral to his very being. And yet, in the blink of an eye, all of his misgivings and hatred meant nothing. He was suddenly met with a clean slate, and the ability to shape that slate into whatever he desired. He could have done anything. He could have _been_ anything. But what happened instead?

Aizen had taken that second chance away from him. He had taken that slate and shattered it into millions of pieces. With one action, Aizen had destroyed any hope Sasuke had at starting anew.

And he was going to _suffer for it._

There was no word in Sasuke's vocabulary to describe the things Sasuke would do to Aizen. That man was going to beg for death, and Sasuke would obliterate his very mind before he granted it to him. But, he couldn't act yet. Aizen simply had too much at his disposal. Too many resources, connections, and not to mention the fact that he practically ruled Soul Society. The man was untouchable at the moment, and that only fueled Sasuke's desire to make him suffer.

And so the unending cycle of revenge and hatred began anew. It seemed that even in death his curse could not be broken. Not that Sasuke minded much regarding that. He'd come to terms with the meaning of his existence long ago, and it would do him no good to brood over the unfair winds of fate now. He had time. Time to think, time to prepare.

Granted, Sasuke couldn't be entirely sure if his thoughts were his own anymore. His Hollow had a habit of influencing his mind, making him unwittingly allow his base instincts to bubble to the surface. It was odd, being even slightly out of control of his emotions. He'd tried to suppress it, and it rarely worked. The only thing that could stop it seemed to be his Zanpakuto Spirit, who he'd visited fairly frequently in his spare time. When she'd told Sasuke that she would teach him to 'truly' use his blade, she hadn't been joking. She was, without question, the most skilled swordswoman Sasuke had ever seen or heard of. Her aggression, combined with her perfect knowledge of the physics of Zanjutsu, made it nearly impossible for Sasuke to land more than superficial wounds. The closest he'd come to victory had been during their first sparring match, in which Sasuke had reflexively activated his Rinnegan in order to keep pace with her. She'd stopped the match, and banned the use of any stage of his Kekkei Genkai while in his Inner World. "You must learn to use me properly, Sasuke. While you would advance quickly using your eyes, they are a power not natural to the afterlife. This power not only should not exist anymore, but it allows for you to break the natural balance of our powers. You and I should be of identical spiritual power, with the only thing differing between us being skill. Your use of the Sharingan and its stages of evolution not only throw the balance of power between us into disarray, but they allow your skills to advance at such a rate that you'll most likely unlock Shikai before being able to truly comprehend my abilities. This, I cannot allow." He had accepted the limitation, understanding that it was in the best interest of both of them.

 _"You know, I'm rather impressed with your progress, Sasuke. You've learned more in the past few days than most Shinigami learn in a year of training. I have no doubt that your Shikai will be unlocked soon. Granted, 'soon' could be anywhere from a week to a decade, so don't become stagnant."_ His Zanpakuto's voiced echoed throughout his mind. They'd rarely communicate this way, as both of them preferred to talk in person, but occasionally it became more prudent to talk telepathically. _"I do not plan on relaxing anytime soon. To slow my training would mean that I wouldn't be in peak condition, and that is simply not acceptable. And you know more than anyone how much power means to me. Now more than ever._ " While he couldn't see the Zanpakuto nod in understanding, the gesture went without saying. _"Of course, Sasuke. I simply wanted to make sure you understood how far you've yet to go. The process of advancing you powers as a Shinigami is slow and painstaking one, and even the greatest of prodigies do not attain Bankai overnight. Do not expect to be the exception to this rule."_ Sasuke didn't respond, his understanding having gone unsaid between the two.

He was just about to begin his patrol of Karakura when an unusual sight caught his attention. It was brief, just a small flicker of white, but it was enough to send Sasuke's Sharingan into overdrive. His eyes darted across the town, looking for any sign of what he had seen. While most would have simply assumed that it had been a trick of the light, or a figment of their paranoid imagination, but Sasuke knew that his eyes _could not_ fail him. It was simply a foregone conclusion. His eyes didn't 'just see things' due to improper lighting or an altered state of mind. That was a weakness, and one that even Genin were taught to eliminate. Even if he hadn't been trained to be immune to that weakness, his eyesight, even without the Sharingan, was impeccably reliable. This hadn't been some trick of the eye, it had been a definite reality. What troubled Sasuke, however, was how quickly the thing had been moving. Even if it had been a Shinigami, they were faster than any Sasuke had encountered in Karakura thus far, and by several orders of magnitude. This had been so fast that Sasuke had barely been able to track them _with his Sharingan_. That left only two options: Either a lieutenant or a Captain had entered the Realm of the Living, and if the flash of white he'd seen was anything to go by, it was almost certainly the latter.

He immediately began to give chase, his Sharingan allowing him to track the residual Reiatsu left by the Shinigami's use of Shunpo. Their path was pretty much a straight line for the patch of wilderness in the center of town referred to as 'Karakura Park.' While Sasuke didn't know why any Shinigami would have interest in such a place, he could not allow them to leave Karakura alive. Either they would surrender, or they would die.

It didn't take long for Sasuke to catch up with his target, who had stopped in the middle of the park's central clearing. One look told Sasuke that he'd been right in his assumption. Standing there, in the clearing, was a Shinigami Captain. By the marking on the back of their haori, Sasuke was able to deduce that it was the Captain of the 6th Division, Ginrei Kuchiki. _"Why would a Captain, who is also the Head of a Noble Family, of all things, have business here? It wouldn't make sense to send such an experienced and powerful asset as their first line of reconnaissance, and I highly doubt that Kuchiki would have accepted such a request in the first place. The only thing that could force a Shinigami of his stature to leave Soul Society would be a direct order passed by Central 46. This doesn't make any sense."_ His thoughts were interrupted when the Captain began to exert his Reiatsu on the area around him. This only caused Sasuke's confusion to grow. _"This is beyond nonsensical, this is just plain stupid. Even if he were here on orders, it serves no purpose to attempt to draw us out. How do they even know that we're here? I can only assume that they made a lucky guess, as we haven't been tracked, and even then Kisuke ensured that the Senkaimon we opened could not be traced. No, even if they knew we were here, they wouldn't be so arrogant as to send a single Captain to deal with nearly twenty Captain-class Shinigami on his own. They would have mobilized the entirety of Soul Society if they knew our location."_ No matter how many ways Sasuke thought it through, this entire situation made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

His attempts at figuring out the reason behind the Captain's arrival were short-lived, however, when the Captain suddenly drew his Zanpakuto. The man then began to open a Senkaimon, which meant that Sasuke could probably have taken the vulnerable moment to end the Kuchiki. Just as he was about to leap into Shunpo, his Zanpakuto called out from within his Soul. _"No. While I understand your motives, this is not the right time to act. If he'd discovered anything out of the ordinary, his departure would have been far more hasty, or he may have attempted to confront us directly. As it stands, we can only assume that he was sent as an attempt to draw us out into the open, which is exactly what you were about to do. Right now it's in our best interest for him to return with an empty report, rather than not return at all and raise suspicion to this place."_ While Sasuke couldn't say that he liked the idea of allowing the man to escape, his Zanpakuto's reasoning was impeccable. They'd gain nothing by killing him, and it would probably be far more detrimental in the long run. So, Sasuke allowed the Kuchiki to leave, though he was still completely stumped as to why the Captain was there in the first place. He left soon after, knowing that Kisuke needed to hear about this as soon as possible.

 ** _Ten minutes later…_**

Sasuke had crossed Karakura town fairly quickly with the use of Shunpo. It was something he actually enjoyed quite a bit, and tended to use it a bit more than necessary. The experience of the world around blurring as the wind ripped at his face, coupled with the freedom that air-walking allowed, was something that Sasuke wouldn't give up any time soon. It had been similar to back when he'd use the Curse Mark to fly, something he'd do in his rare moments of free time. Being able to move about so freely gave Sasuke a sense of euphoria that very few things had ever been able to match. In fact, the only other thing that had made him so genuinely happy had been when he was a child, back when his parents had still been alive. He shook himself from those thoughts, knowing that if he dwelled on them any longer he'd inevitably start thinking about the… less than happy memories of his childhood.

By the time Sasuke arrived at the shop, Kisuke was already outside, his face set into an intense stare. "You saw him too?" He asked. Sasuke nodded, though he was surprised that Kisuke had been able to identify the Shinigami so quickly. "Why was he here? I tracked him to the park in the center of town, but all he did was exert his Reiatsu for a moment and then he left. It doesn't make any sense." As Sasuke described what he'd seen, Kisuke didn't seem the least bit perturbed. In fact, the man seemed to relax more and more as Sasuke finished. "Well, it's safe to say that he wasn't here because of us. You see, there's an ex-member of the Kuchiki clan sealed in that park. I'd heard from Yoruichi that Ginrei was making plans to move him just outside of Karakura, so he was probably checking to make sure everything was in order before the move. I'm glad you came to me before acting, that could have gone _very_ badly, had you acted rashly." Sasuke didn't respond at first, silently thanking his Zanpakuto for stopping him when she had. "Actually, you should be thanking my Zanpakuto. I had every intent to kill Kuchiki before he could finish opening the Senkaimon. It was only after her input that we decided it best to let him go." Kisuke seemed a bit unsettled with how bluntly and emotionlessly he'd talked about murdering the Captain, but shook it off quickly. He tilted over slightly, so as to get a better view of Sasuke Zanpakuto. "I thank you, if Sasuke had followed through things could have gone south here _very_ quickly." Sasuke was able to hear his Zanpakuto laugh for a moment. _"Tell him I said that I appreciate his kindness. It's rare for people to respect another's Zanpakuto."._ Sasuke relayed the message, to which Kisuke had seemed flattered.

He'd acted as a go-between for Kisuke and his Zanpakuto for several minutes before the two had stopped talking. It was… not the most enjoyable thing Sasuke had ever done, to say the least. Just as Kisuke was about to answer a question from the Zanpakuto, Yoruichi and Tessai appeared in a blur of Shunpo. The two of them were sweating, having obviously traveled a great distance. "Kisuke! You need come with us, now! Sasuke, you too! Shinji just went into the same process that Sasuke underwent back in Soul Society, and we need some help to keep his berserker form under control!" Both of the men immediately vanished into Shunpo, with Yoruichi and Tessai close on their heels.

 ** _Or, you know, my muse could just go into overdrive for literally no reason at all. I didn't even intend on writing today, it just sort of… happened. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter._**

 ** _Also, I'd like to make note of something. When I write, I don't come up with a rough draft or anything. I literally just write it as it comes to me, so grammar issues tend to happen quite a lot. I usually catch them in post, but there are quite a few that slip past me. So, I was wondering if any of you would like to Beta Read this story. I know, there's an entire section of the site dedicated to that, but I want it to be someone who actually enjoys the story, as well as someone who can tell me if I should change anything._**

 ** _As such, I extend this offer to reviewer Danish78, who has been a massive influence on the direction of this story. Should he refuse, any who want to Beta Read for this story are welcome to leave their offer in the reviews section._**

 ** _Well, that's all for now, Buh-Bye!!!_**


	10. The Masked Army

Arc II, Chapter 2: The Masked Army

Within thirty seconds of leaving the shop, the four of them phased out of Shunpo to see Shinji writhing on the ground, his now warped and distorted voice roaring as the Hollow within him demanded dominance. The thing's mask had already taken shape, and reminded Sasuke of a role from the history of this world. If he recalled correctly, it was called a pharaoh. The mask encompassed his entire head, and the man's skin had turned white as a sheet. His eyes were similar to those of the Hollow that had infected Sasuke's Soul, except Hirako's irises had turned a dull amber color as opposed to Sasuke's piercing crimson.

"Sasuke, use Bakudo 63, now!" Kisuke's order snapped Sasuke from his analysis. He used Shunpo to move to the other side of Shinji in the training ground, his Sanjo Sabaku already wrapping around his target's torso. The Bakudo was followed by two more identical spells, each cast nearly simultaneously. The instant the Hollowfied registered that it had been restrained, its Reiatsu exploded so darkly and intensely that Sasuke was forced to activate his Sharingan to stay steady. Before any of them could properly cast another Bakudo, the thing shattered the chains, and vanished into the low buzz that Sasuke identified to be a Hollow high speed movement technique. His Sharingan allowed him to blur into Shunpo in order to block a powerful slash that would have probably wounded Tessai quite badly. He shifted his forearm, which had instinctively blocked the unarmed attack. Normally Sasuke would have cursed himself for forgetting that the Hollow had claws, as he would have nearly lost his arm. But, to his surprise, the claws scraped off of his arm, sparks flying in all directions from the point of impact. He didn't have time to ponder this event, however, and instead threw himself backward to dodge another slash of the thing's claws.

"Keep him occupied, Sasuke! Tessai's casting a full incantation Bankin, so he needs more time!" Sasuke didn't respond to Yoruichi, but understood what was needed of him. He ducked a swipe of the Hollow's tail, lashing out with his leg to sweep Hirako's legs. It worked, and as the man fell, Sasuke activated his Mangekyou and whipped his body around to build momentum into a kick that planted itself directly into his opponent's solar plexus. Given that Shinji was in midair, all of the Reiatsu funneled into the kick was instantly dispersed throughout his body so suddenly, and with so much force, that it sent his entire Soul into shock. While this wouldn't be lethal, it would put him down for a few seconds while Tessai got the Bankin ready.

Sasuke allowed himself to relax, and deactivated his Mangekyou. He kept his normal Sharingan active, though, in case something went amiss. Just as his body stopped flaring with adrenaline, he was met with a strange spike in his own Reiatsu. He immediately turned to his Inner World. Not bothering to greet his Zanpakuto, he asked. "What the hell was that? I know that our Reiatsu is more than controlled enough to avoid little flares like that, so something is _very_ wrong." His Zanpakuto was, for lack of a better word, shaken. It looked as though she'd just been through a massive battle, with cuts and lacerations scattering her body. She was leaning on her daito, a pained expression on her face. "It's Shinji's Hollow. Its ambient Reiatsu woke yours back up, and it was somehow leeching that Reiatsu to make itself stronger. I managed to fight the thing off, but I doubt it'll stay down for long. You need to get back out there and stop Shinji's Reiatsu from giving your Hollow any more power. It _will_ overwhelm me if you don't. Now go! Get that taken care of before this gets any worse!" Sasuke was just about to leave once more, when she called out again. "If you don't, that thing will take the dominant role in your powers, and it'll consume you." He nodded, the grim reality of the things at stake burning into his mind.

The current situation, as dangerous as it was, couldn't help but ignite the excitement in Yoruichi's bones. They'd been trying to pin Shinji down, but the man had vanished into that strange variation of Shunpo, and they hadn't been able to line up a Bakudo since. Granted, Yoruichi was able to keep perfect pace with him, so it was mostly her battle to wage, as Kisuke and Tessai weren't up to matching this kind of speed. Kisuke could have, but his Bankai was a bit large scale for this fight. So she'd engaged Shinji in Hakuda-focused combat, the art in which she excelled. The fight was rough, and the man's new claws didn't allow for Yoruichi to block as readily as she would have liked. He was much faster than Yoruichi had expected, and his attacks were so heavy and fast that she'd have been dead long ago if she weren't the Goddess of Flash.

It hadn't been long, maybe five seconds total, but it had felt like hours before Sasuke snapped out of his daze. Yoruichi wasn't sure what had happened, but she was glad that he was back in the fight. She ducked another slash, still mid-Shunpo, and retaliated with a perfectly placed left cross to his jaw. He rebounded from the move almost instantly, not even breaking his mock-Shunpo to slip inside of Yoruichi's guard and grab her by the throat. She was just about to utilize a low-level Hado to escape, when Shinji reared her back and slammed her into the ground, the dry floor cracking under the immense pressure. At this point she was barely funneling enough of her Reiatsu into her neck to avoid it snapping.

Before she could think of a proper counter, a strange heat began to focus in Shinji's palm as it gripped her windpipe, and soon an eerie red glow began to coalesce in his hand. The low, building groan of condensed spiritual energy began to grow in intensity. Just as the energy had capped out, and became unstable, Shinji was thrown off of Yoruichi her vision was overtaken by a purple glow. It took her a moment for her eyes to adjust, and her jaw slackened and her pupils turned into dinner plates at what she saw.

It was Sasuke. Sasuke, surrounded by a skeletal ribcage consisting entirely of a thick purple Reiatsu. The next thing Yoruichi's eyes flicked to was the massive arm that had extended from the ribcage, and slammed its fist into Shinji's side. Then, as she turned to thank Sasuke, her entire body froze.

His eyes. While he wasn't looking at her, she was at a close enough angle for his Sharingan to be visible. She couldn't place what about that look Sasuke was giving Shinji sent her fight or flight response into hysterics, she knew that ever aspect of Sasuke's glare told her to _run_. Run as fast and as far away from those eyes as possible. It took her purposefully forcing those instincts down to stop herself from running away right then.

 _Predator_. That's what it was. The look Sasuke was giving right now was the look of an agitated apex predator preparing to slaughter its next meal.

She'd never seen him like this before. Even when he'd been fighting Tosen, his entire demeanor was controlled, and exuded a level of indifference that marked him as a born fighter. This… this was cold, determined, and completely single-minded. Yoruichi could literally feel the killing intent behind those eyes. It was… terrifying. There was no denying it. The way Sasuke was right now, those eyes, it chilled Yoruichi to her very core, and gripped her blood in the freezing embrace of fear. She'd never been frozen by terror, and before this would have proudly boasted that to be impossible. But yet here she was, pinned to the ground by this boy's contempt. No matter how much she willed herself to move, his gaze transfixed her in place, and forced her to remain still.

Sasuke usually tended to avoid using his Susanoo, as it was one of the mightiest powers an Uchiha could obtain, and most weren't worthy of dying at its hand.

But, he was not in the mood to play games with Hirako's Hollow anymore. It had threatened one of the few people Sasuke could safely call his friend, as well as woken up his Inner Hollow, which would undoubtedly lead to massive issues later on. Needless to say, his patience for the thing had curled into a ball and died.

So he'd activated his Mangekyou and Rinnegan, slipped into Susanoo, and punched his target off of Yoruichi with as much power as possible without killing Shinji. The sheer power of it sent the Hollow careening for several hundred yards before slamming into a large boulder, which exploded on impact. Sasuke instantly slipped out of his Susanoo, and used his Rinnegan to teleport over to the Hollow and ripped its body from the rubble. He reared his fist back, and a small sonic boom followed his strike as it slammed into Hirako's jaw with enough force to send a massive concussive shockwave into the ground beneath them, resulting in a medium sized crater forming.

Sasuke's grip failed him when the blow landed, and Hirako was sent back into the ground, his body still reeling from the force of the strike. Sasuke wasted no time in following up, and teleported to the man's side. He instantly drove his Zanpakuto into Shinji's gut, pinning him in place. He'd been sure to place the sword in a spot that wouldn't kill, and quickly leapt away, gathering a bit of distance. "Walls of iron sand, a priestly pagoda, glowing ironclad fireflies. Standing upright, silent to the end. Bakudo #75: Gochutekkan!" He slammed his conjoined fists into the ground, and the five pillars fell from the sky, pinning Shinji in place. If a full incantation, maximum power Bakudo couldn't keep the ex-Captain in place, Sasuke didn't know what would.

Luckily, Kisuke followed up with a Kin before that problem could be tested, and the combined power of the two Bakudo left Shinji completely unable to move. With the fighting done, the four of them decided to keep an eye on him. Tessai had set to work mending the various injuries that Kisuke and Yoruichi had sustained, while Sasuke had simply seated himself atop a boulder directly beside Hirako, acting as the first line of defense should he have broken out of the Bakudo. His Sharingan remained active, but he was relaxed, for the most part. _"So, how's the situation in there? Should I put some distance between us?"_ His Zanpakuto was silent for a moment before responding. _"No, you're alright. You put enough power into that Bakudo to completely subdue his Reiatsu output, so your Hollow shouldn't become any stronger. I still don't know if its awake, but I'll pull you back here if he turns up."_ By the sound of her voice, his Zanpakuto's condition had improved considerably. _"What happened while I was fighting Hirako? You looked like you were on your last legs when I saw you."_ The Spirit laughed for a moment. _"Your Hollow was a bit stronger than I anticipated. I doubt I would have lasted forever fighting him like that. By the way, I think his little tantrum may have caused you to fire off a Bala when you punched him."_ Sasuke didn't know what to say at first. Bala was an advanced Hollow technique that fired a fist-sized concussive projectile of hyper-condensed Reiatsu. Even weaker Bala usually tended to travel at around mach twenty, and the stronger ones could outpace lightning by several times over.

Which meant that Shinji had just taken a full force, Bala infused punch from Sasuke, when he didn't bother holding back. Honestly, the man was probably unconscious. Before he could continue his conversation with his Zanpakuto, the sound of jogging to his left made his head snap in the direction he'd heard it from. To his relief, it was Yoruichi heading over to him with Kisuke and Tessai close behind. "What the hell was that out there, Sasuke?! Seriously, you can't expect me to believe you already have Shikai, so what?" Yoruichi seemed to be a bit shaken, though Sasuke couldn't blame her. It was a predictable reaction for someone who'd never laid eyes upon the Susanoo before.

"A technique members of my family are able to obtain. It's an extension of my eyes, and learning to master it is practically impossible. It's called the Susanoo." When he finished, Yoruichi just seemed even more awestruck. "So you're telling me you could do that when you were _alive?"_ Sasuke merely nodded his head. "Sasuke, that was the most perfect physical manifestation of Reiatsu I've ever seen. Most _Captains_ can't manipulate their Reiatsu at a level even _resembling_ that, and you talk about it like an everyday occurance!" Not knowing what exactly to say, Sasuke simply shrugged his shoulders. "I've been using the Susanoo since I was sixteen, so yes, this is fairly normal for me." His statement was met with a deafening silence. It reigned for about thirty seconds before Yoruichi finally spoke again. "So… how old are you? You look like you're in your early twenties, if I had to guess." Sasuke couldn't help but scoff. _"If I were twenty Madara would be dead, not me."_

"I'm seventeen and a half, actually." This was met with a barely audible gasp from Yoruichi. While most people wouldn't have noticed it, Sasuke's Sharingan picked up the sound perfectly. Her entire boy language told Sasuke that she had not expected that response. Her shoulders slackened, her eyes dulled slightly, the growing look of pity spreading across her face. It was obvious that his age troubled her deeply, though Sasuke couldn't imagine why.

Before either of them could continue, the sudden groaning to their right caught their attention. Without a word, they gathered around Shinji's body, waiting to see if their shared suspicion was correct. Within a couple more seconds the man began to cough, and the white material covering him began to melt off of his body. More of the white substance came from Hirako's mouth as he coughed, and before long all that was left was his mask. Kisuke bent down, getting a better look at Shinji's face. "You awake, Shinji? We had to hit you with some serious Bakudo to keep you down, but we managed." Hirako shifted, his head turning slightly to face Kisuke from underneath the pillar of Gochutekkan. "Fine, yeah. Son of a bitch took one hell of a beating, though. Nearly killed me. What about you? Looks like hell from under hear. Speaking of which, ya mind undoing this Bakudo? Kinda cramped in here…" Kisuke got a bit of a chuckle out of that, and he dispelled his Kin after a moment. Sasuke followed suit, his Gochutekkan vaporizing as he released it.

Shinji took a moment to stand, his joints stiff from being pinned under Sasuke's Bakudo. Once he stretched for a bit, he looked over to Sasuke, his mask still adorning his face. "Yo, Sasuke, what did I miss?" Sasuke had no doubt that the man was wearing that same bone-chilling grin beneath that mask. Luckily, he seemed to realize that there was something amiss, and soon reached up to remove the thing. He looked it over once before tossing it to the side. "Tch, can't believe I got stuck with that. I don't know how you take being part Hollow so casually." He walked over to Sasuke, his hand slowly raising to rest on his face. Sasuke wasn't sure what the gesture was supposed to mean, but before he could ask Shinji continued. "But, I suppose we're just gonna have to live with it, aren't we? We'll also need to find some kind of name for what we are, seeing as 'Shinigami-Hollow hybrid' is way too wordy for me. Whatcha think, Sasuke?" As he finished, he ripped his hand down across his face, and his Reiatsu became laced with killer intent so thick Sasuke could almost see it. There was a small moment where black and yellow Reiatsu coated his face, before Shinji's mask formed. When he next spoke, his voice was warped and garbled.

 ** _"We're going to be a masked army, Sasuke. Not Shinigami, nor Hollow, but masked hybrids of both. As such, I believe the name 'Visored' would be rather appropriate, don'tcha think?"_**

 **Well, I believe that's another chapter down. The Visored name has been established, and we get a look at 'fucking murder you' Sasuke. Sorry if it came off as rushed towards the end, as I ran into a writer's block. Other than that, not much else happened in this chapter, as things are in a bit of a dull spot right now. Don't worry, I won't make you sit through ALL of the Visored gaining their masks at once, but I will include them every few chapters.** **That's all for now, Buh-Bye!!!**


	11. Complications

Arc II, Chapter 3: Complications

 ** _One Month Later…_**

Life had gone on as usual, after that. He'd heard from Kisuke that Shinji and the others had constructed a better method for them to deal with their Hollows, so he'd just resumed his usual schedule. Sasuke would patrol Karakura during the day, and practice manipulating Kido spells at night. It was becoming a bit easier for Sasuke to do so, as he'd quickly discovered that it wasn't very different from using ocular Genjutsu. The manipulation of reishi and Reiatsu was almost identical to using the Sharingan to create illusions. Granted, the process was still exceptionally difficult, and Sasuke had made little progress.

He'd just finished his patrol for the day, having encountered a couple of freshly-born Hollows. They were dispatched with little difficulty, of course. Little more than a simple Byakurai had slain the pitiful beasts. Regardless, he stepped back into Shunpo, clearing the distance between his current location and the shop in less than a couple of seconds. He'd gotten progressively better in the use of Shunpo. It was a technique based almost entirely on skill, and advancement in its use was coming somewhat swiftly. Granted, he still couldn't quite outpace Yoruichi, which aggravated him a bit. He'd had Kisuke construct several ring-like targets in the training ground, and used them as a test of speed. His accuracy and speed could only be refined through an increase in difficulty, so Sasuke had ensured that his skills were being truly tested.

However, he did not expect to be out-running the Goddess of Flash anytime soon. The woman was an aberration in the Shinigami world, with a level of skill in Hoho that no Captain before or since has been able to match. Her Shunpo was absolutely flawless, and that fact made fighting her all the more dangerous.

Sasuke had just finished a run through his makeshift Shunpo course when Yoruichi had blurred out of the same technique just behind him, a finger tapping his shoulder before he could react.

"Dead." She stated quietly, her finger squeezing his shoulder to emphasize the fact. He truly despised when she did that. Truly.

"What is it, Yoruichi?" He gritted out, unsure of how far she was planning on taking this. He never intended to spar with her, but the woman was exceptionally good at getting her way. She could turn this situation into a fight the instant that idea took her fancy, and there was little, aside from just teleporting away, that Sasuke could do to avoid it. She lowered her hand, the release of pressure prompting Sasuke to turn to face her. He met her eyes, the golden orbs still managing to catch him off-guard. He took a half a step back, creating a bit of space between them. She seemed in a rather bored mood, which only made him even more cautious. A bored Yoruichi was not a safe Yoruichi.

She sighed a bit. "Kisuke's calling a meeting. Everyone's there, save Hachi. He asked me to let you know, and he seems pretty agitated. Whatever it is, it's a big deal, so try and not take so long." He could hear the slight sarcasm in her voice, so the rush didn't bother him much. "I'll be up there in a bit. Shouldn't take me but fifteen minutes to finish up my training regimen." He'd barely gotten the words out of his mouth before Yoruichi cocked a lopsided smirk.

"Sounds good. I'll be sure to tell them that you'll be _fashionably_ late!" She slipped into Shunpo before he could protest, a laugh carrying in her wake. He just stood there for a moment, before quickly slipping into the position for Jinzen. Before he could enter his Inner World, he was assaulted by the raucous laughter of his Zanpakuto. She was practically cackling, the sound of it nearly deafening Sasuke's mindscape. _"Something funny?"_ It took several minutes for her to compose herself enough to answer.

 _"Oh, Sasuke, if you only knew how amusing that was! I'm glad we ended up where we did, none of the other Shinigami are even close to being as interesting as her."_

 _"That could just be perspective. I never really talked with any other Captains, so I imagine there's a lot we don't know about them. Not the best idea to make assumptions yet. We only know a handful of them."_

 _"Killjoy."_

 _"You know I'm right."_

 _"A killjoy, nonetheless."_

He didn't bother with another response. Without a word, he slipped into his Inner World, blade already half drawn before he'd even hit the ground. That still seemed to be too slow, as he was forced to twist his body in order to block a vicious underhanded strike. The blow forced him back a few yards, giving him just enough room to unsheathe his blade fully, before being violently assaulted once more. His Zanpakuto moved into Shunpo, her daito mere centimeters away from his face before he could even think to react. He ducked his head through reflex alone, the decapitating strike severing a few strands of hair from his head. His counter came swiftly, as he used the crouched position to blur into an especially close-ranged Shunpo. He phased back into existence just behind her, his Chokuto already in motion to bisect her across the waist. His strike had barely sliced into flesh when she reacted, shifting her stance to sling her body around, the daito arcing overhead toward his neck at an angle.

Before the attack could hit its mark, he blurred back into the Shunpo, moving backward as quickly as he could. She matched his speed, however, and the two began to trade blows mid-Shunpo. Sasuke could barely handle the sudden tempo change, and suffered a deep gouge to his thigh before finally adjusting enough to fight back. His hand moved fast enough to send waves of power into the air beneath them, the sheer power behind each block and strike causing visible maelstroms in their wake. To an onlooker, it might appear as though the very air itself was at war.

The battle didn't last long, however. It was a small error, an overextension of Sasuke's right leg by no more than half an inch, but the almost non-existent opening was all his sword needed to slip inside of his guard, slamming the pommel of her daito between the boy's eyes and sweeping his back leg simultaneously. The counteracting forces put Sasuke onto his back almost instantly, and he was forced to lay there for a few seconds for the pain to subside.

"Your footwork is off. Fix it, or you'll end up like this every time we fight." Though her voice had quieted, he noticed that her lips continued moving. When he didn't react, she seemed to sadden slightly, but soon shrugged the disappointment off. "Seems you still can't hear my name. I'd be lying if I said that it didn't get frustrating, but I can wait as long as I need to. I will keep trying until you can hear me, Sasuke. I promise." He didn't respond verbally, instead bowing his head in a deep nod of understanding. He stood, flicking his blade to dispel the trace amounts of blood that speckled it, and sheathed it. He reached out his hand, and she did the same. Their fingers locked in the Seal of Reconciliation, and the hold wasn't broken until Sasuke de-materialized from his Inner World entirely.

 **"Hmph. I give the kid a week, tops."** She spun, her hand already resting upon her daito. The Hollow smirked, that mischievous grin sending waves of chills down her spine. "You promised a month and a half! He needs more ti-"

 **"I don't give a damn. You said the shithead would have Shikai in a month, and I don't see it, so you haven't held up your end of the deal. I'm the one who's letting him get stronger, so I suggest you just shut up and deal with it. We fight in a week, no sooner, no later. Remember, Zanpakuto, you're the one who agreed to this."** Before she could respond, the Hollow buzzed out of sight. She just stood there for a moment, transfixed by what had just happened. She quickly blocked out Sasuke's connection to her mind, not wanting him to worry.

And then the tears came.

It didn't take long for Sasuke to leave the training area, and even sooner he'd found the room where Kisuke and the 'Visored' were situated. He was, admittedly, not the fondest when it came to Shinji's name for their kind, but he honestly didn't care what the man called them.

He opened the door and stepped inside, returning a small wave that Kensei greeted him with. The whole group seemed to be on edge, so Sasuke braced himself for whatever was going on. He found an empty chair, somehow, and sat down. Kisuke turned to him, obviously having been awake for far longer than normal. The bags under his eyes were nearly black, and his grim smile set Sasuke's nerves on edge. His voice was slightly hoarse when he spoke.

"I hope you can understand that I don't have the time or luxury to explain this to you in any great detail, but we're running out of time. Soul Society is moving Koga Kuchiki tomorrow evening, and they're going to send the entire 6th Division to sweep Karakura for Hollows. It won't matter that we can hide our Reiatsu, our appearances _will_ be recognized, especially if Ginrei sees one of us. The plan is for you to get out there and keep us informed, but _do not_ engage any Shinigami unless directly forced to. This is going to be a serious test of just how safe we are. If we can skate by unnoticed by an entire Division, that's technically looking for us, we should be safe for keeps. Now, I can understand if yo-" Sasuke cut in before he could finish.

"I'll do it. You guys just stay focused on keeping yourselves contained. I'll need something to keep in touch, Urahara. Unless you want me backtracking across the entire city for the rest of tomorrow?" Kisuke seemed to get a chuckle out of that, though it was a half-hearted one at best. "Yeah, I can do that. Give me until tomorrow, then come see me. I have one more warning for you, Sasuke." He leaned in, the intensity of his gaze catching Sasuke by surprise.

"Under _zero_ circumstances are you to confront Captain Kuchiki. Even if we're discovered, you steer clear of any Shinigami of Captain rank. If they recognize you, then they'll have a Hell Butterfly sent to Yamamoto within the hour. The Head Captain has a bit of a grudge against you now, and we can't have him bringing down Ryujin Jakka on the entire city, now can we?" Sasuke nodded, his neck feeling a bit stiff. "Good. Now, if that's all you wanted to know, I'm going to go get some sleep. Goodnight, all!" The shopkeeper lifted his hat, and swiftly left the room. Sasuke was just about to do the same, when Shinji called out to him from behind.

"Hey, you got a minute? Was kinda wanting to talk to you about something." His tone set Sasuke at relative ease. The man was still somewhat jovial. He turned, allowing Hirako to have his full attention. "What is it?"

"Was just curious, but have you dabbled in your Hollow powers at all? Me and Kensei have been trying, but the shit's not easy, especially since we can't practice on other Hollows." Sasuke had to stop himself from scoffing. The man could be a terrible liar sometimes. "That's an indirect segway if I've ever heard one, Hirako. You want to fight me using only my mask, no?" Shinji seemed to tense slightly, but only for a split second.

"You can be scary sometimes, ya know that kid? Yeah, that's the long and short of it. But seriously, how do you and Kisuke even _do_ that shit? It's damn weird." Sasuke let a small chuckle escape his lips. He quickly grabbed Hirako and Kensei by their shoulders, and vanished into Shunpo.

A second later and the two were lying on the dusty ground of the training area beneath the shop. They quickly recovered, leaping to their feet with Zanpakuto drawn. Sasuke decided not to do anything aside from stand there, his blade still resting comfortably in its sheath. "Well," he said. "Come on. Don't keep me waiting." He let some arrogance bleed into his voice, if only to spur them on.

Kensei was the first to move, as expected, and it was rather simple to cock his head to the side to dodge a Shunpo powered haymaker. He didn't counter, instead allowing his reflexes to tell him when to move. Kensei quickly followed up with a heavy uppercut, which Sasuke simply sidestepped. This seemed to frustrate the ex-Captain, and he came at Sasuke with several powerful and precise jabs. Sasuke decided not to insult the man by simply dodging, and blocked each strike with just enough Reiatsu behind his movements to keep Kensei on his toes. His opponent disengaged, leaping back several feet.

"Damn, kid. You've got some serious Hakuda training. Guess I can have a bit of fun with this, even if you can't use Shikai yet." He drew his Zanpakuto, a simple wakizashi, and cracked a wide grin. "Blow it away, Tachikaze!"

There was an explosion of Reiatsu, followed by the howling of gale-force winds shearing past Sasuke's eardrums and swirling around Kensei in a cyclone. The winds soon died down, however, and Sasuke was able to get a better look at his adversary's Shikai.

It was quite simple, honestly, and very fitting of Kensei's fighting style. It was a strangely designed version of what Sasuke could only describe as a Kunai. Granted, this blade was much bulkier than a Kunai, but the comparison was still valid. He crouched into a more agile stance, and waited for Kensei to take the initiative.

The man flickered into Shunpo, his dagger already mere inches away from slashing Sasuke's throat. He reacted quickly, ducking underneath the attack to deliver three precise strikes to Kensei side. The Shinigami didn't buckle, but his blade flipped into a reverse grip, slamming down in a hammerfist to Sasuke's back. He barely managed to slip into Shunpo before the blade hit its mark, reappearing some distance away, unscathed.

Kensei didn't bother commenting, covering the gap between them via Shunpo. He led with an easily blocked overhead strike, the dipped low with a slash meant to gut him. Sasuke leapt into the air, solidifying the air beneath his feet as he flipped over the man, and pushed off. The newfound momentum gave Sasuke enough power to send Kensei careening into a cluster of boulders several hundred meters away with a well placed knee to the back of Kensei's neck.

There was a moment of silence as he began to pace over to where Kensei had landed, and he'd caught a glimpse of Shinji's slack-jawed face as he walked. Before he could make it to him, Kensei burst from the rubble, his Shikai still active, and relatively unharmed. Aside from several scrapes and slowly forming bruises, of course. Neither spoke as they blurred into Shunpo towards each other, blades sparking and the scream of metal grinding against metal echoing throughout the training ground.

They were like that for several seconds, just pure skill keeping neither combatant from losing any ground. Sasuke soon saw a slight opening, no doubt because of his Zanpakuto's training, and moved to take advantage of it. He reached out, his Zanpakuto moving at blinding speeds to strike Kensei within his guard, when the Shinigami's Reiatsu suddenly spiked, and a rush of absurdly powerful wind sent Sasuke flying backward. Before he could catch himself, a sudden blast of air pressure abruptly threw him into the dirt below. While he hadn't taken much damage, he could feel the concussion from the unwanted movement preparing to set in.

Kensei flickered into existence just above him, standing on a platform of air just above Sasuke's head. "You're lucky, that attack would have killed most Adjuchas. I'm honestly just amazed that you can keep up with my Shikai without even using those eyes of yours. Can't imagine what kind of training you went through to get this tough." Sasuke didn't respond, instead taking those few seconds to catch his breath. _His Zanpakuto must have some form of wind-manipulation abilities. That means that no matter how far away I am, he'll hit me unless I dodge the place he's aiming, instead of the strike itself. What an interesting Shikai…_ Kensei suddenly slipped into Shunpo, snapping Sasuke out of his thoughts.

He didn't leave Shunpo for several seconds, obviously trying to throw Sasuke for a loop and find a more apparent opening. Sasuke bought into it, swiveling his head back and forth, making it seem as though he couldn't get a lock on Kensei's position. A slight lapse in his speed told Sasuke that the ex-Captain had changed direction, his dagger already midway through a slash directed at his chest. Sasuke waited for another half a second, the tell-tale signs of air turbulence warning Sasuke of his opponent's proximity.

Just as the torrent of wind came within a couple of feet from him, Sasuke leapt skyward, clearing the attack just as the ground beneath him was ripped apart by the violent wave of Reiatsu infused air. He stalled in the air for a moment, his eyes locking onto Kensei as he passed underneath him. Before the ex-Captain could react, Sasuke blurred into Shunpo, circling around him to his right. He lifted his hand, Reiatsu funneling into his two extended fingers.

"Hado #4: Byakurai!" The surge of lightning shot forth from his hand at a speed magnified by lightning, and slammed into Kensei's side with enough force to send him barreling into the ground, the scorch mark still smoking when Sasuke appeared beside him. "Going to have to push harder than that, Muguruma. I'm still not needing to use my mask." The man shot Sasuke a half-hearted glare, but didn't move. "Fuck that, Shinji! Tag in!"

Sasuke didn't even have time to blink before he had to rip his Zanpakuto around to block a slash from his back. Shinij stood there, his Hollow mask fully formed and his Zanpakuto already in its Shikai state. Sasuke slipped into Shunpo, but his new adversary buzzed out of sight, moving too quickly for Sasuke to track without activating his Sharingan. He didn't, out of respect for Hirako's original intents for this match, and instead opted to rely solely on his own reflexes and instinct. Sadly, he was too slow to block a powerful slash to his side, the blade sliced through his Reiatsu fortified skin like wet paper, and he had to push himself to his limit to escape being bisected by the attack.

His feet hit the ground, and he was surprised that Hirako didn't immediately give chase. He was standing just a few feet away, his mask no longer present. He seemed displeased.

"Tch, damn mask and its time limit…" He eyes flicked up to Sasuke's wound, and his eyes widened. "Damn! Didn't realize I cut that deep. You gonna survive? That's one hell of an injury." Sasuke didn't say anything, but raised his hand to rest against his face, and twisted it counter-clockwise as a surge of Reiatsu flared from his hand. His mask began to form, the white material crawling over his face with a level of nonchalance that he was sure irritated Hirako.

He opened his eyes, and noticed that Shinji seemed to be sweating under the weight of his Hollowfied Reiatsu. He did the Shinigami a favor and sheathed his Zanpakuto. "Come, you wanted to fight my mask, here it is." He said, and Shinji instantly reacted, stepping into a relatively fast Shunpo. With his new boost in power, Sasuke could track the move as easily as he would have with the Mangekyou Sharingan. He didn't move, however, instead standing completely still. This didn't seem to phase Shinji, and he continued with his assault. He closed the distance between in less than a seconds, his blade arcing over his head in a diagonal overhead slash.

"What the fuck?" Was all Shinji could say. When his blade hit its mark, he'd been dumbstruck by the sight of Sasuke, his Zanpakuto resting against the boy's skin with absolutely zero damage. There were sparks as Shinji withdrew his sword, leaping back several yards to gain distance.

"No, seriously, what the hell _was_ that? My sword didn't even _scratch_ you." He lowered his weapon, obviously done with their short match for moment.

Sasuke sighed, before explaining, "It's a technique used by Hollows to harden their skin to protect against Zanpakuto. It's called 'Hierro.' You need to match my Reiatsu in intensity in order to pierce it, and even then you'd only deal superficial injuries." Shinji nodded dumbly as he spoke, obviously still shocked. "Long story short, we have extremely potent armor. I only just started trying to use it outside of using my mask, but it's almost entirely based on my reflexes and instinct."

"So you can't be cut by any Shinigami weaker than you?" He nodded in response. "Unless it's an extremely condensed strike, like Byakurai or a direct stab, it should be deflected."

"That's fucking insane, Sasuke! You could probably waltz through most of the Gotei without even having to draw your sword with that, let alone activate your eyes. Holy hell, man. You can be one scary bastard." Sasuke couldn't help but crack a small smirk under his mask.

"That's not the only thing we can do now, Shinji. At least, I think you can do this." He focused, channeling a sizable portion of his Hollow Reiatsu into the huge gouge in his side. Within seconds the wound become nothing but a scar, the muscle and sinew sewing itself back into place at an alarming rate.

Hirako was gaping at this point, so Sasuke decided to spook the man a bit. He stepped forward and, in a burst of speed so great that it could be likened to his Rinnegan's teleportation, he was suddenly standing just beside the Shinigami. The man seemed too awestruck to comprehend his movement, and slowly turned to look at him, his eyes the size of dinner plates.

"That, Shinji, was called Sonido. It's basically the Hollow version of Shunpo, but with a bit more kick. You've been using it without noticing when you put on your mask, so it should come easy to you." Shinji gulped, and slowly began to regain his composure. "When the hell did you learn all of this?"

"I had my Zanpakuto beat them out of me. These abilities manifest out of instinct and subconscious reflex, so I had my sword put me in a situation where it was either that or death." He shrugged as he finished, not entirely sure what else to say. Shinji seemed to mull that over for a second, before decidedly going with, "You are one hardcore motherfucker, Sasuke."

 ** _The next day…_**

When he woke, Sasuke immediately went to Kisuke, his Shunpo carrying him there within the next half a second. The inventor was already awake, hard at labor in front of a desk on the far side of the room. He paced over, clearing his throat to alert Urahara of his presence. The man turned, extending his arm towards him. "Take it," he said. "Just put it in your ear and press the button when you want to talk to me. I've got an identical one that'll let me communicate with you without drawing attention with Kido. Be careful out there, Sasuke. Yoruichi's going to be around out there as well, but don't expect her to be easy to find."

After some basic farewells, Sasuke left with the box Kisuke had given him in tow. He just sort of wandered Karakura for a couple of hours, not really with any particular destination in mind. The city seemed rather dead, all things considered. The taller buildings, that were still under construction, had been abandoned, and he hadn't encountered any living people for a while. _"The Kido Corps probably put everyone in town to sleep."_ His Zanpakuto spoke, and for moment she almost sounded… mournful?

 _"They aren't dead, you know."_ That was met with complete silence. His Zanpakuto could be so melodramatic sometimes.

As the day droned on, Sasuke began to take notice of an increasing number of Shinigami in the area, and was able to notice that they all seemed to be heading for one place.

The park.

He moved quickly, shedding his Gigai in favor of the jacket that Kisuke had placed in the box he'd given him when they left Soul Society. He blitzed through the city, his Shunpo carrying him to his destination within a second or two. He landed softly inside of the same tree he'd watched Kuchiki from a month ago, his Sharingan active and scrutinizing every tiny detail.

What he saw made his breath catch in his throat. Standing there, in the center of the clearing…

was Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto himself, wreathed in the undying flames of Ryujin Jakka.

 ** _Okay, that's all for today. I retract my statement in the update, the scene I was talking about had been moved for plot convenience._**

 ** _This chapter has so many botched versions. I had one where he went to Hueco Mundo, one where he unlocked Shikai, I even had a version where I said fuck it and skipped straight to Bleach Proper. But, I scrapped all of those in favor of this plotline. Get ready, folks, because this is about to get interesting._**

 ** _Adding a small edit her, but could one of you tell me how the fuck to make those line breaks I see in other fanfics? Can't figure it out to save my damn life._**


	12. Inferno

Arc II, Chapter 4: Inferno

He didn't know what to do. The most powerful Shinigami in existence was standing not even twenty yards from him, yet Sasuke was completely unable to move. _"What the… Why is he here? Why now? This Kuchiki can't seriously be that dangerous, right? Surely a single veteran Captain could handle this? No. That's not why he's here. The only reason he would be here is a direct order from Central 46. This isn't just a relocation issue, this is a declaration of power. No matter where on earth we are, we would be able to feel his Reiatsu. They want us to know that they've got their best ready to fight."_ He shifted slightly in the tree, his footing being less than comfortable.

 _"It could also be a challenge to you, Sasuke. The Head Captain held a great deal of faith in you, and his trust was seemingly broken. We did incapacitate one of his Captains, and I doubt that he takes betrayal very lightly. Remember, this isn't an issue best solved by violence. Should he confront you, do not kill him unless we have no other choice."_ Sasuke nodded, his face locked in a grim frown.

 _"So what do we do?"_ It was a simple question. One that would determine fate of his friends. He heard his Zanpakuto sigh from his mindscape before she spoke.

 _"Seeing as this is an invitation, they definitely don't know where we are. Knowing that, we can use this to our advantage. Go down there, confront him, and get him away from Karakura long enough for you to teleport away again without drawing attention to this place. They only have an interest in this town because it's where that Kuchiki exile is sealed. Once that's over, we'll be left alone."_

 _"So hit and run?"_ His words were met with a light chuckle from his sword.

 _"Yeah. Something like that."_ He cracked a smirk, and used his new footing to launch from his perch. About mid-way through his flight, Yamamoto's eyes flicked up to look at him, and the flames of Ryujin Jakka roared to life as a wave of its power whipped towards him. Sasuke instantly slipped into Shunpo, using the newfound speed to out-maneuver the flames.

The instant his feet hit the ground Sasuke ripped his Zanpakuto from its sheath, barely managing to raise it quickly enough to block the overhead strike from the Head Captain.

"You dare return, even as the mightiest Shinigami in two millenia threatens to snuff out your existence? Fool." The man pushed, and Sasuke had no choice but to disengage. He leapt back, but Yamamoto was already two steps ahead, vanishing into Shunpo only to cut off Sasuke's escape from behind, his blade already in motion to cut the boy in twain.

Sasuke had to put all of his strength into each block, and push his Shunpo to its absolute maximum, just to keep pace with the elder Shinigami. The fires of his Shikai didn't help, as they lapped at his blind spots any time he stopped moving. He ducked low, narrowly evading a powerful torrent of fire as Yamamoto's blade rose up from below, ready to impale him. In a moment of slight panic, Sasuke activated his Rinnegan, teleporting away just as Ryujin Jakka passed through where he'd been just an instant ago.

He fell into reality about thirteen yards away from Yamamoto, who had yet to get a lock on his location. It was then that a sudden realization hit Sasuke like a ton of bricks. _"He can't sense my Reiatsu."_ His jacket had been turned to ash in their initial clash, so the only possible reason that Yamamoto hadn't found him was that the man couldn't detect his Reiatsu, even without the jacket.

 _"No, I'm fairly certain he could sense it before, because he managed to track our movements even through the flames. I think the issue is more centered around you. He only lost track of you after you activated your Rinnegan. I'm not sure how they connect, but it's too coincidental to be chance."_ Just as Sasuke was about to respond, he noticed that Yamamoto had stopped searching, and was now halfway across the distance that had been between them. He crouched, and just as the Head Captain's sword came within a foot of him, he took to the air, using his Rinnegan to blip around the clearing in an attempt to disorient the elder Shinigami.

"I know not why I can no longer detect your Reiatsu, boy, but whatever trick you have devised will not save you. My remaining Captains are converging on this location via Senkaimon as we speak, you will not escape me a second time!" This statement immediately sent Sasuke into a state of near-panic. _"This is bad. They're going to lay siege to the entire area just to pin me down, and there's no way the others are going to sit back and watch. If they get here before I can end this, our already slim cover is going to be completely gone."_

 _"Calm yourself, Sasuke. Think for a moment, what are the exact powers of your Amenotejikara?"_ Sasuke responded almost instantly, having learned the limits of his teleportation very well thanks to Madara.

 _"I can change the spatial location of myself, an object, or another…"_ His train of thought died as the idea his sword was presenting became clear. He stopped his continuous movement, taking stock of Yamamoto's current situation.

The man was completely untouched, and could probably keep this up all day and then some. The fires of Ryujin Jakka were doubling as both the perfect defense and an insurmountable offense. If those flames touched him, Sasuke had no doubt that they'd turn him to ash with little effort. Beyond that, there wasn't much stopping Sasuke from getting close.

He stepped into Shunpo, not wanting to overuse his eye, and was able to dance around the sluggish flames of his opponent's sword with little difficulty. Yamamoto seemed to not be expecting such speed, because he instantly began switched to traditional Zanjutsu, slashing at Sasuke's midsection just as he came within range. He pushed off of a reishi platform just beneath his feet, leaping over the attack and out of the man's striking range once more.

Before the Head Captain could properly adjust, Sasuke blurred into Shunpo again, moving in a semicircle around him until he was facing his adversary's back. He lunged forward, pouring every ounce of power he had into a Shunpo that even Yoruichi herself would have trouble keeping up with. Within a millisecond he was inside of Yamamoto's guard, and his hand grabbed hold of the man's shoulder with an iron grip. As the Head Captain was about to turn around, Sasuke funneled a sizeable chunk of Reiatsu into his Rinnegan, and without so much as a whisper the two vanished, the scorch marks of Yamamoto's Shikai the only remaining evidence of their encounter.

 ** _At the shop…_**

She and Kisuke had been sitting in the training grounds, along with the Visored, for several minutes when Sasuke's Reiatsu, which had spiked to absurd levels, suddenly vanished. Their reactions varied, but all of them seemed to agree on one thing: That could not be good.

Even if he wasn't dead, the kid could have been captured, and taken back to Soul Society for execution. "Shit, Kisuke, what the hell do we do now?" She demanded, her already hair trigger temper flaring at the idea of Sasuke's death or capture. Kisuke was much less volatile, however, and instead wore a pensive expression on his face.

"We can't do anything. Not yet, when there are still so many Shinigami topside. For now we just need to remain calm, and hope that Sasuke knows what he's doing up there. I thin-" He was cut off as Shinji abruptly stood, his face fixed into a look of anger.

"Hell no, Urahara. We're going and figuring out what's happening up there, whether you like it or not. I'm not about to just sit around and wait for that kid to get skewered by the fucking Sokyoku while I can do something about it!" His sentiment seemed to be shared by most of the Visored, and they stood as he finished talking. Yoruichi wasn't sure what to do. She knew to trust Kisuke's judgement, but the idea of leaving Sasuke to rot was something repelled by every aspect of her being. Tessai hadn't made any indication of intent, which was probably for the best. That man was monster when he got mad.

Kisuke didn't seem that shaken by Hirako's outburst, not turning to look at him as he spoke. "What you do is your own choice, Shinji, just be careful out there. I don't want to be picking up Visored bits tomorrow, and I doubt Sasuke would appreciate it if you got yourselves killed over him." The instant the words left the shopkeeper's mouth, Shinji and the rest of the Visored vanished from the training ground, a whisper of Shunpo following them.

Yoruichi didn't move just yet, instead placing a hand on her life-long friends shoulder, smiling reassuringly. "Don't worry, Kisuke. I'll go make sure they don't get themselves killed, you hang back and let me know if Sasuke makes contact." He didn't speak, but he did nod his head in acceptance. Just as she turned to leave, Kisuke snapped his arm out, gently grabbing her arm before she could go.

"Be careful out there, Yoruichi. We don't know who all they sent. If the Head Captain was out there, all bets are off."

"Of course."

And with that, she too stepped into Shunpo, leaving the bedraggled scientist to his own devices.

When she finished that step, she was stand on a reishi platform about a hundred meters above Karakura, her shoulders chilled by the cool evening air. She hadn't bothered grabbing anything aside from her Keisen uniform that morning, and was thankful in hindsight that Shunko would be a viable option. She stood still for several moments, taking in the scene before her.

The Visored were scattered across Karakura, all in intense combat with the remaining Captains of the Gotei. She spotted Shinji near the edge of the town, crossing blades with 13th Division Captain Ukitake, and looking fairly alright. The same could be said for Kensei, who was currently fighting a pitched battle with the Captain of the 11th Division, Kenpachi Kiganjo. Both had unleashed their Shikai, and didn't seem to be having a great deal of trouble, so Yoruichi didn't move to aid them just yet.

She turned her gaze to where she could sense Mashiro's Reiatsu, and her heart skipped a beat. The girl was fighting Ginrei Kuchiki, whose Zanpakuto had yet to enter Shikai. She was bleeding from several slashes and a stab wound just to the left of her heart, which probably meant that her lungs were damaged. Yoruichi narrowed her eyes, and leapt into Shunpo towards them.

When she stopped, the two combatants on either side of her froze for a moment, no doubt feeling the weight of her Reiatsu. She flicked her eyes to her left, and gave Mashiro a reassuring nod before saying, "Get out of here, you're hurt. Let me handle this fight from here." The girl seemed hesitant at first, but soon gave her a sharp nod before turning to leave.

Before Mashiro could step into Shunpo, Kuchiki appeared just behind her, his Zanpakuto midway through a swing meant to bisect the girl. Yoruichi instantly moved to her side, moving forward to intercept the Captain's strike before it could land. She succeeded, slipping inside of Ginrei's striking range and slamming her palm into the man's elbow, stopping his arm short. She didn't let him counter, using Shunpo to enhance the speed of her strikes as she landed several punches to his midsection. She ended the short chain with a blindingly fast kick to his stomach, which sent him flying backwards for several yards.

Ginrei caught himself on a hastily made reishi platform, his breathing ragged for several seconds as he recovered from her onslaught. She let him breathe for a moment, out of respect for his honor. "What's going on, Ginrei? We thought you were just moving Koga, but this looks more like a siege than anything." The man looked up at her, his face contorted into one of slight anger.

"You are correct, Shihoin. The original plan was to lure out the Uchiha boy, and then have all capable Captains converge on his position at once. Unfortunately, the two seem to have vanished via unknown methods, and you exiles attacked not a minute after. Our new objective is simple: Bring you lot back to Soul Society, dead or alive." Yoruichi felt a spark of anger in her gut, the sheer apathy with which he spoke slipping under her skin. She didn't respond, and instead moved towards him, a maximum speed Shunpo landing her directly behind the Captain. He seemed to have tracked her, if only just, and rounded on her with an overhead slash.

She sidestepped the attack, and countered with a hook kick to his side. He recoiled slightly, before retaliating with a vicious, two handed slash aimed for her throat. Before the blade could reach her, Yoruichi slipped into a short-ranged Shunpo, reappearing behind him once more. This time he didn't manage to keep track of her, and was just a second short of stopping the powerful haymaker she planted between his shoulders. He stumbled forward, and she followed up with a few precise jabs, focused mostly on his kidneys and liver, before he finally managed to gain enough distance to slip into a hasty Shunpo.

She could have followed, and continued her assault without ever giving the man a moment to breathe, but she had never liked brutality very much. She stayed still, letting the unprepared Captain recoup for a few seconds. Blood dripped slowly from his chin, evidence of the internal damage she'd caused. He fixed a venomous glare at her, before lifting his blade to be level with her chest. "Sleep, Juyodenai Keimusho."

Yoruichi's ankles shook under the explosion of Reiatsu that followed, and when the ensuing smoke cleared, she was met with a familiar sight. Ginrei's Zanpakuto had changed somewhat, with the hilt resembling the basket handle of a rapier, and the blade thinned slightly. His jaw shifted slightly, and Yoruichi instantly moved to attack, her Shunpo carrying her as swiftly as she could.

Kuchiki twisted his blade, and she was suddenly completely unable to move. Her entire body froze in place, and Ginrei began to walk towards her. He carried himself with much more confidence than before, a regal touch to his stride.

"You truly believed that I would be unwilling to release my Zanpakuto, Shihoin? How insulting. Don't bother trying to move, by the way. My sword's power is far more powerful than a simple Bakudo, and someone as young as you couldn't hope to unravel it's hold." He lowered his sword, and stepped into a Shunpo that Yoruichi could just barely track. He moved directly past her, his blade in motion to destroy her Saketsu and Hakusui. In the instant just before her powers would have been sealed forever, Yoruichi found herself demanding her body to _move_.

She wasn't entirely sure what had happened, after that. All that she'd recognized was a slight blur of green fabric just before her vision contorted due to the immense speed at which she was being moved.

When she was finally brought to a stop, she fell to her hands and knees, her body recovering from the extreme exhaustion of being trapped by Ginrei's Shikai. After panting for several seconds, regaining her breath, she finally looked up at her apparent savior.

Standing there, with a look of pure murder on his face, was Kisuke. Benihime was already released, and the insurmountable weight of his Reiatsu left her fatigued body shaking under the pressure. He looked back at her, and she shot him a thumbs up before slumping onto her back to rest.

Kisuke turned back to face the Noble, Benihime flickering dangerously with crimson Reiatsu. "You were going to kill her, Kuchiki. Her body was trapped in sleep paralysis by your Zanpakuto, so she wouldn't have survived the blood loss from losing her Saketsu and Hakusui simultaneously." His words were quiet, and that only scared Yoruichi even more. The Captain grunted before responding.

"The only exile who is to be captured is you, Urahara. I will not be so insolent as to show mercy to her simply for her relationship with my Clan." She noticed Kisuke grimace, as though those words hurt to hear.

"Then you've just signed your death warrant, Captain Kuchiki." The level of venom in his voice was something Yoruichi had never seen before. She knew he could be protective, but this?

Before she could think about it more, Kisuke vanished into Shunpo, and Yoruichi couldn't track him whatsoever. He reappeared directly in front of Ginrei, Benihime already midway through a slash meant to decapitate the man.

Kuchiki managed to block in time, but he couldn't even think to counter before several blows impacted his abdomen, and a small burst of blood erupted from his side. Kisuke didn't relent, driving Benihime into his shoulder before whispering, "Sing, Benihime."

The resulting arc of crimson energy tore through the Shinigami's arm like _paper_.

Even then, Kisuke refused to give Ginrei even a moment to himself, slamming a powerful kick into the now one-armed Captain's chest. The impact was intense enough to send him flying into a street below, creating a medium sized crater where he landed.

It was silent for several seconds before Kisuke finally turned back to face her, Ginrei's blood still splattered across his face. Before he could speak, a voice roared from below them.

"Bankai!" The both of them instantly jerked their heads towards where Kuchiki had landed, and Yoruichi felt a twinge of worry begin to form.

The man was standing about twenty yards from them, his left arm nothing but a stump. He was engulfed in a flowing miasma of Reiatsu, and his Zanpakuto had morphed into dozens kunai-like blades hovering just above him, poised to strike at a thought. His face was contorted in anger, and he spat out the name of his second release like an insult.

"Jigoku no Keimusho."

 ** _Alright, that's where I leave this chapter. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I couldn't resist. So, what do you guys think about Ginrei's Zanpakuto? Took me awhile to figure what to do with him, but I like what I've come up with._**

 ** _Guess that's all for today, Buh-Bye!!!_**


	13. Tipping Point

**I'm going to take this chance to announce that I'll be starting a new, non Bleach crossover in a day or two. Here's your one hint as to who it'll focus on:**

 **"Don't you dare say it!"**

 **"Jackpot!"**

Arc II, Chapter 5: Tipping Point

When Sasuke had grabbed the Head Captain's shoulder, he hadn't been entirely sure of _where_ he was going to take him. He hadn't had time to mull it over, he'd simply acted.

So, when the two of them were suddenly dumped into an endless expanse of white sand, Sasuke had been more than a little confused. _"This doesn't match any topography on earth. Another alternate dimension, perhaps?"_ His Zanpakuto didn't answer, but a sudden spike in his own Reiatsu told him that things were amiss. Had he been fighting a lesser man, he would have simply checked on things himself, but this was _not_ a lesser man.

His thoughts were interrupted by Yamamoto's voice, which carried in an odd echo due to the landscape. "Hueco Mundo? For what purpose have you brought us here, boy? You think some meager Hollows would help your odds? You are more of a fool than I first thought." He vanished, forcing Sasuke to turn on his heel to deflect a powerful slash. He leapt back a few feet, dodging a swath of flames, before speaking.

"I wasn't planning for a particular destination, Yamamoto. If you would listen to reason we might be able to solve this without bloodshed, and I'm trying _very_ hard not to kill you as it is." The elder Shinigami scoffed, taking a step forward. "You would claim to be ignorant of your own forbidden powers, child? Do not insult me with such a bold lie. If you believe you have the strength of will to defeat me, then I will not stop you from trying. You are not the first welp to fancy themselves my equal, and you shall not be the last." He raised Ryujin Jakka, settling into a traditional kendo stance.

Sasuke didn't reply. _"You've made your choice then, Genryusai Yamamoto."_ He activated his Mangekyou, forcing his Reiatsu output to even further heights. This was not a battle he could afford to hold back in.

Before his foe could so much as twitch in reaction, Sasuke exploded from his position, his movement so sudden and powerful that the sound barrier didn't register that it had been shattered until nearly five seconds later. Yamamoto, of course, couldn't possibly react to such a thing in time, and Sasuke carved his Zanpakuto through the Shinigami's side like butter.

The Head Captain registered the attack instantly afterward, ignoring the blood falling from just above his hip in favor of raising Ryujin Jakka to deflect a follow-up slash. The amount of sheer brute force behind the strike was enough to send the man to his knees, and a hairline fracture appeared along the edge of his Zanpakuto where their blades met. He made to counter-slash, but his strike was met with nothing but air when Sasuke vanished.

He phased back into existence several meters away, flicking his blade free of Yamamoto's blood. "Normally I'd have decapitated you with that strike, but a man like you deserves the chance to fight an honorable battle. It goes against what I _should_ do, but I don't think I could stand anything aside from a true battle. I'd have done the same for Naruto, had I survived that fight, so you deserve the same courtesy. I'll only give you this one chance, Genryusai Yamamoto, release your Bankai."

The oldest Shinigami in existence narrowed his eyes, his Reiatsu flattening the landscape around him with the sheer _power_ it held. "Bankai."

The mere word instantly infused his spiritual energy with so much ambient heat that the compressed sand beneath his feet turned to glass, and gail force winds ripped in a cyclone around the Head Captain. Sasuke could simply marvel at the difference in power from what he'd seen thus far. It was like the elder Shinigami was becoming the physical incarnation a god before his very eyes. He had no doubt that every single Hollow in Hueco Mundo was brought to its knees, or snuffed out of existence entirely.

In the next instant after he'd spoken the word, all of the flames that Yamamoto had produced so far were suddenly gone, their combined power returning to his Zanpakuto so quickly that Sasuke hadn't even noticed until he looked at the man's sword.

It was now severely charred, so much so that the metal was now as black as coal, with a thin stream of smoke wisping from the tip of the blade. The edge of Yamamoto's Bankai glowed orange, the air around it warping under the obscene heat that the hyper-condensed flames were producing. Yamamoto himself had shed his Haori, which was swept away by the winds still raging around them.

"Zanka no Tachi."

Sasuke felt all of the moisture in his mouth and throat vanish, and the air around him became scalding. This was not the only thing that had changed, as the glass beneath the Head Captain's feet instantly melted away, leaving the man standing on a reishi platform. "Are you satisfied, Uchiha? What you see before you is a blade so great, so infused with heat, that all things are erased from existence with a single touch. Prepare yourself, Sasuke Uchiha, for your defeat will come swiftly." He took a single step forward, and then _moved_.

Sasuke had barely been able to track the oncoming assault, and decided not to test his enemy's boast. He leapt to the side, narrowly dodging the arc of utter annihilation that was the Head Captain's Bankai. The landscape behind where Sasuke had been standing mere milliseconds ago was instantly turned to molten glass, and the sudden air pressure generated by the attack turned the landscape into a ravaged warzone.

Yamamoto didn't relent, tracking Sasuke's movement with a level of focus and precision that he'd never seen before. By now it was taking literally _everything_ Sasuke had to dodge each strike, and any distance he tried to gain was instantly eaten up by the man's nearly perfect Shunpo. While he could certainly keep up with the Shinigami with Sonido, he wanted to feel out Yamamoto's Bankai for a bit longer before he started using any Hollow techniques.

It was a very slight difference between the two techniques. While Shunpo was fueled almost entirely by skill and Reiatsu control, Sonido relied solely upon the user's innate power, allowing for maximum speed at the cost of accuracy and the sonic boom that followed it. He could outpace just about any Shinigami with his Sonido, and his accuracy had been getting better over the course of the last month. Should he need it, this battle could end in the blink of an eye.

"I would prefer if your focus stayed on this battle, boy." Sasuke's awareness snapped into overdrive as Zanka no Tachi's blade slid past his cheek, silently thanking his eyes for allowing him to dodge in time. That could have been the end, right then and there. He turned out of his sidestep, whirling around with an overhead slash. His target shifted slightly, tilting his shoulders to allow Sasuke's Zanpakuto to pass through nothing but thin air.

And so began a vicious back-and-forth between them, neither allowing the other to land any blows, and both exerting enough power to turn the very topography of Hueco Mundo into collateral damage. Each missed slash carved massive revines into the sands that stretched on for half a mile, every misplaced Hado spell leaving massive craters in the ground below them.

Sasuke had never, in his entire life of combat, encountered a foe with as much skill and discipline as Genryusai Yamamoto. It was something that, without doubt, was forged in the two millennia of his life, and tempered to a razor's edge with age. Even given the massive difference in power between them, Sasuke couldn't shake the feeling that even a single mistake would result in his death. This man was far more dangerous than any Shinobi in history, save for maybe Madara himself. He'd have turned Naruto into paste by now, were their roles reversed.

Luckily Yamamoto didn't have the penchant for underhanded combat that Madara had been so fond of. He was a very straight-forward fighter, and as such didn't force Sasuke to be nearly as wary as he would be against a fellow Shinobi.

No, the danger that Yamamoto posed came in the verstility of his Kido and Zanjutsu. His obvious mastery of Kido gave him a counter for nearly any predicament he found himself in, and his skill in Zanjutsu was absolutely absurd. Not even his own Zanpakuto fought with this level of precision and efficiency.

His analysis of Yamamoto's threat level was interrupted when the elder Shinigami suddenly blurred into Shunpo, moving to gain distance. _"He's building up for something big. Probably one of his Bankai's more advanced abilities."_ He didn't move, allowing the Head Captain to leap nearly thirty yards away. He raised Zanka no Tachi into the air, a massive influx of Reiatsu forcing Sasuke back. _"No. This isn't just big, this is going to change the very **face** of Hueco Mundo. That kind of Reiatsu concentration is going to turn this entire dimension into nothing but ashes."_ His eyes narrowed in determination, Sasuke sheathed his Zanpakuto.

He reached up to his face, and _twisted_ his mask into formation. He grasped his right wrist with his left hand, funneling as much Reiatsu as he could possibly muster into his right arm. Calling on the power of Byakurai, he allowed his Hollow Reiatsu to quickly break down the spell's consistency, allowing only the basic elements composing it to remain. That warped spell's energy began to coalesce in his hand, lightning arcing out from it in massive whips of destruction. Stray whips lashed into the desert floor, shredding the landscape around him.

"Zanka no Tachi, North: Tenchi Kaijin!" Yamamoto roared, slashing downward with his Bankai. To say that the tidal wave of flames that moved toward him was powerful would be akin to calling a kunai sharp. It simply couldn't properly describe the level of undying destruction that the Head Captain's flames carried. If Sasuke couldn't neutralize this... end of all things, then Hueco Mundo would be turned to nothingness by the sheer backlash of it alone.

Sasuke grimaced, the pain of maintaining a Hado spell, distorted as it was, while simultaneously using his mask and eyes all at once beginning to overload his Soul. It wouldn't kill him, but he would certainly be bed-ridden for a week. Forcing so much power into your body that your Soul was mere seconds away from entering Soul Suicide did that to you.

This wasn't a matter of beating Yamamoto anymore, this was a level of destructive power that threatened _everything_ , and couldn't be controlled by anything aside from an equal level of power. If the two didn't cancel out, Hueco Mundo was going to evaporate. Sasuke felt the Byakurai reach a breaking point, and allowing a single, nostalgic word to be uttered.

"Chidori."

 ** _With Yoruichi and Kisuke..._**

"Jigoku no Keimusho."

Yoruichi looked like she'd seen a ghost upon hearing that name.

Kisuke, however, wasn't even remotely concerned. He knew this man. He knew this Bankai. He knew that this Bankai could not beat him. But, he also knew that knowledge is only seen as such when one _believes_ it to be so. Him _knowing_ something was simple. An effortless application of theory and evidence to solidify a definite outcome. That kind of thing was something Kisuke could do in an instant.

What he couldn't do, however, was be omnipresent. If Yoruichi stayed, one of them was going to die. No matter what Kisuke did, every outcome where she stayed resulted in either her death or his. He simply couldn't fight such an experienced Bankai user and protect someone at the same time, because that meant that Kisuke would have to _hold back_.

So he had decided to start slow. He'd attacked with his Shikai, using both the shock factor of his arrival and his immense skill with Shunpo to overwhelm and severely injure Yoruichi's attacker. Of course, Ginrei's only option at that point would be Bankai. Honestly, Kisuke couldn't believe that some people wouldn't be able to see that. It seemed so painfully obvious in his eyes, and yet many men could barely tell if someone was angry by looking at their face.

Such obliviousness disgusted him. And it was that obliviousness that clouded Kuchiki's judgement. Were he of sound mind, he might have considered just how poor a match their respective Bankais were for each other. Benihime's second release was literally _founded_ on the idea of improvement. Of bettering one's senses and power to the utmost peak, and destroying its enemies in the same manner.

Ginrei's Bankai was infinitely more simple than that. If one of his blades hits you, your body is forced into a state of complete sleep paralysis. It got more specific from there, but it hardly mattered to Kisuke. After all, those blades had to touch him first.

When the Kuchiki Clan Head raised his remaining hand, Kisuke had known what it meant. In mere moments those blades would attempt to carve him to pieces. From there, all Kisuke would have to do is dodge the blades and engage Kuchiki directly.

But, just as Ginrei's hand began to close, the air became soaked in a fiery Reiatsu. Kisuke recognized it instantly, and risked a look over his shoulder. Nothing.

It was then that Kisuke noticed something. He could still breathe. If the Head Captain were truly here, his Reiatsu would have had Kisuke on his knees within seconds. This meant that only two logical conclusions remained. Either A, he was somehow sealed in Sekkisekki rock thick enough to smother his Reiatsu's effects, or B, he was exerting enough power to be felt from another _Realm_. Given that Yamamoto would turn most forms of Sekkisekki into dust by simply _existing_ , it was a safe bet that option B was the most likely.

Beyond even that, another more horrifying realization had hit him. Even Yamamoto, with all of his unstoppable power, wouldn't be able to breach the dimensional barrier with a mere Shikai.

The Head Captain had unleashed his Bankai.

 _"Attention, this is the Lieutenant of the 6th Division speaking, all Shinigami deployed in the Realm of the Living are hereby ordered to retreat to Seireitei. Zanka no Tachi has been released in Hueco Mundo. I repeat, Zanka no Tachi had been released in Hueco Mundo!"_

The transmission cut off abruptly, no doubt due to the immense spike in the Head Captain ghostly Reiatsu. He flicked his eyes back over to Ginrei, who had already dismissed his Bankai.

"It seems that we have more pressing matters to attend to, Kisuke Urahara. We will return for you at a later date, farewell." With that, he hastily opened a Senkaimon, and left without so much as another word.

He finally allowed himself to relax for a moment, and turned back to where Yoruichi was still sitting. "Hear that? Looks like the old man finally whipped out the big guns." But Yoruichi didn't share his humor. She was just blank for moment, before whipping her head up to look him in the eyes.

"Sasuke."

In a single word, Kisuke suddenly understood what Yoruichi was getting at. There was, quite literally, maybe two Shinigami in all of existence that could push Yamamoto to release his Bankai. And, as it were, both of those Shinigami were just now leaving the Realm of the Living right in front of Kisuke's eyes.

That left three possibilities: One, he had somehow been dragged to Hueco Mundo by an absurdly powerful, Vasto Lorde class Hollow. Two, Kisuke was actually insane, and none of this ever happened to begin with. Or three, Sasuke had somehow gotten into a fight with him, and they'd ended up in Hueco Mundo... somehow.

Given that a Vasto Lorde hadn't been sighted in the Realm of the Living in nearly one thousand years, and it was Yamamoto himself that had killed the thing, Kisuke suddenly felt exceptionally worried for Sasuke's wellbeing

 ** _In Hueco Mundo, with Sasuke..._**

"Chidori."

The instant the word left his mouth, he shot forward. While he hadn't succeeded in replicating his favourite Ninjutsu, he'd learned that attempting to use Kido while affected by Hollow Reiatsu tended to break the spell down to more... basic levels. Instead of having to use the spell itself, Sasuke was simply stripping away everything aside from its most base component.

Lightning.

From there it was simple to redirect it, and use it in the same way he would a Chidori. Him calling it as such was probably just a deep seated habit that had never truly died.

When he charged, the crackling energy surrounding his right forearm doubled in intensity, due to his use of Sonido to stop the cataclysmic wall of flames from actually hitting anything aside from his improvised attack.

He had known from the onset that this was a bad idea. But, it was also his _only_ idea. His Susanoo wouldn't be able to stop that, and he needed a way to match the _potency_ of those flames. While his Susanoo would have supplied the needed power, he didn't have any way of condensing that energy. For his plan to work, he needed to be fast _and_ powerful.

And what better technique to use than one suited _perfectly_ for the task? Sure, he would be slightly weaker in general, and probably be injured immensely afterward, but that wouldn't matter it he could get the result he was hoping for.

When he'd moved to intercept Zanka no Tachi, he'd been shocked by just how much his speed had been magnified. It was as if the entire distance between them didn't even exist. So, when he'd run hand first into the flames, he'd barely managed to stop his own momentum in time to avoid actually being hit.

When his hand made contact, he could feel the ground beneath them all but vanish under the shockwave and clash of Reiatsu. He drove forward with all of his strength, willing the Chidori to break through. It was akin to a normal human punching a steel wall, for all of the give Sasuke felt. Even as the flesh on his forearm began to split under the intense pressure, he could feel his power increasing with each second he was in contact with it. His eyes widened in shock.

His Inner Hollow had started absorbing the ambient energy in Hueco Mundo, and growing exponentially stronger with every passing moment. That, of course, bled into his mask as well.

That meant that the balance of power in his Chidori would be thrown to wayside, and his Hollow Reiatsu would be all that remained.

So he drove harder, pouring so much of his own energy into his attack that blood began to leak from his nose as his Soul began to break.

Then, just as suddenly, the entirety of his perception went dark.

 **Hello again! Sorry for the delay, but this chapter was really hard to write. So, whatcha think of this chapter? I know, it could have definitely been longer, but I just couldn't find a good way of writing the entirety of this scene in one chapter.**

 **Anyways, this arc is going to be fairly calm after this. Once it wraps up, we'll be heading straight for Bleach Proper. Trust me, shit is going to get _wild_ after this arc.**

 **So, was anyone expecting Yama-jii to go Bankai this early? I honestly wasn't sure myself, until I realized that literally nothing else was going to make this a fair fight. The actual destructive power of North was entirely my head-canon, so forgive me if it seems a bit over the top.**

 **But just think about it for a second: Yamamoto was going to destroy _Soul Society_ itself, and that was just by being in Bankai in the first place. It would only make sense that his strongest attack would be able to way worse, right?**

 **As for why that not-Chidori was able to actually fight back the flames, both consist of obscenely high temperatures, and Sasuke was backing it with enough Reiatsu to crush most Captains like a fucking grape.**

 **Well, that's all for today! Buh-Bye!**


	14. Fallout

Arc II, Chapter 6: Fallout

When Sasuke woke, he was standing in the empty expanse of his Inner World. The crimson sun had changed, however. Now, it cast a sickly purple hue over the endless space.

He turned fully around, trying to spot his Zanpakuto, when he was suddenly met with a sight that forced a wave of panic through his entire body. Lying there, covered in blood, was his sword. She was barely breathing, the blade that was sticking out of her chest leaving her extremely close to death.

He crossed the distance between them in an instant, kneeling down to get a better look at her injuries. Before he could get a proper look, his Zanpakuto shot a hand up, grasping his shoulder and keeping him from coming any closer.

"Don't worry about me, Sasuke. As long as you live, so shall I. Just... kill that... _monster_." The last of her will gave out, and she fell into unconsciousness. Sasuke stood, his grip on his sword tightening. He didn't move, his already active Rinnegan and Mangekyou alerting him to the roundhouse kick coming from his right.

Before the attack could hit its mark, Sasuke funneled a sizable chunk of Reiatsu into his Mangekyou. The everlasting black flames of Amaterasu surrounded him, creating a condensed shield around him. His Hollow was barely able to disengage before his leg touched the fire, buzzing into Sonido to gain distance.

 **"I told you I was going to break you, the last time we fought. How about I make good on that promise, hm?"** He rushed Sasuke, who barely even had to try to outmaneuver his Sonido. He ducked, sidestepped, and outright _caught_ every single strike his Hollow attempted, his eyes making it almost too easy to predict the thing's every move.

But, that didn't last. Over time, Sasuke began to notice that his Hollow was growing faster, stronger, and more unpredictable with each passing moment. Before long Sasuke found himself genuinely _struggling_ to react in time.

His Hollow was somehow siphoning the ambient energy of the outside world, which was probably supercharged by his clash with Yamamoto, and using it to exponentially boost his own power. He had no idea how this was possible, but that was the only explanation for this.

And that made his Hollow _unimaginably_ dangerous.

He ducked a wild slash from his left, rolling out of the dodge before leaping into the air. Solidifying a layer of reishi beneath him, he barely managed to block the oncoming overhead strike before deflecting it, giving him a solid opening to counter. He thrust forward, sinking his Zanpakuto into his Hollow's flesh down to the hilt while simultaneously charging it with a powerful Byakurai. The sudden burst of electricity forced the Hollow to slow for just an instant, and Sasuke quickly withdrew his blade and slammed a kick into the wound.

With a cry of pain, the thing was sent barreling downward, only managing to halt his own movement after travelling for nearly thirty meters. He snapped his head up, his eyes flashing with anger.

 **"You son of a bitch! Just fucking die, you damned Shinigami!"** He roared, a massive outburst of Reiatsu causing Sasuke's bones to _shake_ under the pressure. His Hollow moved, the boom of its Sonido dispersing all of the gathered clouds above them with the sheer _force_ of it.

Sasuke instantly teleported away, making sure that the _ungodly_ speed of that Sonido wouldn't be able to blitz him. Though, that barely saved him. He'd been able to see a flash of steel even as his eye carried him away from danger.

He appeared behind the Hollow, delivering seven Shunpo-powered strikes to its back before it could so much as react. Not daring to lose this advantage, Sasuke planted a hand on its back, gathering and condensing a ludicrous amount of Reiatsu into his hand. The energy soon took shape, forming into a red sphere of Hollow Reiatsu that crackled with power

"Cero." The sudden release of power was so great that enough air was displaced to render the entire expanse of his Inner World mute. Were there any terrain to speak of, it would have been reduced to literally nothing.

His Hollow was still standing. Not only was it standing, but the thing was _smirking_ at him.

 **"You actually thought that an ability _I_ gave you would be able to hurt me? You're fucking pathetic, kid. Now, let me show what a _real_ Cero should look like," **It lifted its arm, and began to charge the attack.

That simple action was enough to send a wave of chills down Sasuke's spine. It was something akin to the electric feeling you sometimes get before a powerful thunderstorm. An ambient static hung like a blanket over him, every aspect of his being telling him to _run_.

 **"Cero."** All color inverted, and the entirety of Sasuke's perception was enshrouded in a deep purple light.

* * *

He wasn't sure what followed, but he was positive that he hadn't died. Not yet, at least. He felt normal, no pain or discomfort. In fact, he actually felt substantially lighter than before.

 _"Sasuke."_ A familiar voice pierced through the darkness around him. His Zanpakuto.

"What's happening?" He asked, and his Zanpakuto was silent for several seconds before answering.

 _"Right now you are safe. I dragged you to the deepest depths of your Inner World, so that we might speak for a while."_ She said, finally manifesting in a visible form. She looked fine, aside from the obvious limp in her stride.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" It was a simple question, but his sword seemed to struggle to find the right words.

 _"What is your purpose, Sasuke Uchiha?"_

"What?"

 _"What is the meaning of your life? What is the one thing that has always superseded everything else?"_ He didn't even hesitate.

"Revenge. All my life, my goal has been to avenge one thing or another. Nothing else mattered." He stated, crossing his arms. He'd confronted the meaning of his existence long before he'd died, and didn't get what point his Zanpakuto was trying to make. She gave him a look.

 _"That is a lie, Sasuke. Remember, I can look through your memories, your emotions, you thoughts. I know you just as well as you know yourself, and then some. So, let me ask again, what is your purpose?"_ He didn't know how to respond. He'd never thought about it much outside that, and he'd always accepted vengeance as his lot in life. Was that not true? Was there truly something more to his existence than that?

"I..." He started, the words leaving him for a moment.

"I... don't know." She gave him a warm, sad smile.

 _"And there is nothing wrong with that confusion. Do you honestly think that you'd fully come to terms with yourself in a measly seventeen years? Most people take over a century in the afterlife to even get close to that, Sasuke, and you're closer than most of those people ever get. You have been given an opportunity to learn so much about yourself, child, and I **refuse** to let you do it alone." _She laid a hand on each of his shoulders, lowering herself to eye level with him.

Sasuke could have described the look in her eyes in a few ways, but none seemed to suit it better than complete and utter remorse. For the first time, he truly believed it.

 _"It's time, Sasuke."_ Her crimson orbs glinted in the dark, simmering slightly as Reiatsu pumped throughout his Soul in a tsunami of untapped power.

"Are you sure? I thought that self acceptance was the key to achieving Shikai?" The question was almost silent, nearly drowned out as the air around him began to hum with barely restrained energy. She simply shook her head, a low giggle escaping her lungs before she could stop it.

 _"Sasuke, you've been ready to wield my power since the day we met. The only thing that has kept you from hearing my name was your own fear. You may not understand yourself yet, but you've shown me that you are willing to throw away an entire lifetime of self-deceit in order to learn. With that, my worries have been dispelled."_ She stepped back, the screech of metal giving him a small pulse of adrenaline. She didn't attack, her black daito's tip resting against his chest. She flashed him a smirk.

 _"Do you trust me?"_ He returned the gesture in kind, grasping the blade of her sword with his hand.

"Figured this might happen somewhere along the line." He said, just before his Zanpakuto pierced his heart.

There was no pain. No blood. He could feel it as his Shinigami Reiatsu fell into perfect sync with his body, pulsing and coursing through him to the beat of his chest. His sword's manifestation twisted her blade, and another wave of power tore through his body.

As her lips began to move, Sasuke could do nothing to stop a small smile from bleeding into his expression as he heard his Zanpakuto's name for the first time.

* * *

His grip on his Chokuto was white as the two of them were let loose from his Rinnegan's teleportation, his eyes fixed in a death glare at his Inner Hollow. The thing had just noticed them, and let out a sharp cackle.

 **"So, finally decided to take it like a man, eh? I see you brought the bitch as well. Good, means I don't have to waste time killing her later."** Neither Sasuke nor his Zanpakuto responded, instead sharing a look before raising their blades to the sky. The air began to smell of ozone as their Reiatsu signatures skyrocketed. When next they spoke, it was as one, their voices melding as a pillar of lightning blue Reiatsu erupted from their blades.

 ** _"Flicker, Inazuma."_** Their combined voiced rocked Sasuke's Inner World as a the pillars of Reiatsu exploded into a blinding light.

When the light cleared, Sasuke's Inner World was bathed in an electric blue light, arcs of lightning crisscrossing their bodies as the low thrum of stagnant energy echoed throughout its expanse.

Then, just as quickly, it all vanished, dissolving into their blades within an instant. Sasuke flicked his eyes back open, his pupils sparking violently as electric energy flowed from his sword into his body. This resulted in a subtle blue glow emanating from them.

The Hollow looked them over, its eyes wide. Though, it wasn't with shock, or fear, nor anything else Sasuke would have predicted.

He was _happy_. A shit eating grin was stretched ear to ear, before it raised its hand, that same purple energy sending chills of ambient energy though Sasuke's spine as his Hollow's ungodly Cero began to form. He didn't dare let his eyes move, his mask forming without any more than a thought before the lightning of his Shikai became visible once more, now coating his blade with crackling energy.

He moved before his Hollow could even flinch, crossing the distance between them as the lightning amplified his speed to obscene degrees.

That wasn't even considering that he hadn't used any high speed movement technique at all.

 **"What the..."** The Hollow sputtered, its pupils dilating as panic began to set in. Its Cero fizzled out, smothered by Sasuke's own lightning coated hand. He raised his sword, now glowing blue as more and more lightning was funneled into it. His arm fell, Inazuma tearing through his Hollow's flesh while simultaneously releasing all of the lightning stored within.

What followed could be considered nothing less than armageddon. The very fabric of Sasuke's mindscape was torn to shreds as every last ounce of his power was unleashed in a single strike.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile, with Yamamoto...**_

He'd been sitting there for nearly half an hour, his shihakusho wrapped around his torso to stop any more bleeding. Luckily their final clash had resulted in wounds that were already cauterized. Not only that, but his Kaido would soon be finished healing his most severe injury.

He would live.

But, in the end, he had been bested. His Reiryoku reserves were nearly gone, his Bankai having depleted them almost immediately after its activation. The boy, however, hadn't suffered even a single major injury. In truth, Yamamoto was impressed. Never had he met a Shinigami of Uchiha's caliber, of his strength.

Never had he fought a Shinigami who's fighting prowess exceeded his own.

He shifted slightly, a response to the sudden flare of pain in his side as the Kaido finished up its healing. After giving it a moment to solidify, he stood.

He'd never intended on crossing blades with the boy. In fact, Yamamoto had been seriously considering giving him a seated position in the Gotei 13. That was, until he had aided Kisuke Urahara in his abhorrent experiments. Genryusai had never been able to stand betrayal, and this was one he could not allow to go unpunished.

Amusing, then, that it was _he_ who had been defeated. Now, helpless as he was, he would have little choice but to accept whatever judgement the Uchiha deemed fit.

Before he could think on the issue any longer, the boy began to stir. His head snapped up, crimson eyes locking on to him with steely determination. He made to stand, but his could not seem to support the weight. He fell, giving up in favor of sitting back against a steep dune to his back.

"You're alive?" The boy asked, his voice strained and hoarse.

"Indeed. Our clash seems to have ended in a stalemate." He answered. The Uchiha was silent for a moment, before speaking once more.

"I can't take us back to the Realm of the Living until my Reiatsu stabilizes. So, are you willing to listen to our side of the story yet?"

"My duty is to kill you, Uchiha. I cannot change that, any more than Central 46 can make a fair and just decision. I could only change that by enacting martial law, and I refuse to abuse my power for something so trivial." There was nothing but silence for a long time after that.

"What are we going to do once we get back?" The boy seemed to already expect the worst, but didn't express any hope either way.

Yamamoto hesitated for a second, conflicted in his decision. On one hand, he was bound by law to obey the decree of Central 46 and kill the boy.

But on the other sat his pride, his dignity, and his honor as a warrior. He could not in sound mind murder Sasuke like this. It would be an insult to himself.

The choice was obvious.

"I shall return to Soul Society and report to Central 46. You are too dangerous to safely apprehend, and it would do us no good to continue pursuing you." He said. The boy seemed to be taken aback by that response.

"You mean that my people and I can live in peace?" His voice sounded hopeful. A shame, then, that he would be disappointed.

"No. Any Shinigami who crosses your path will be required by law to attempt to arrest you. My only assurance is that none of my Captains will be sent after you again. Hopefully we shall never cross paths again."

"I agree."

There was a minute or two of silence, neither having anything else to say.

Before long, the boy began to move, shoving himself to his feet. His breath was shaky, and it was the same with his legs. His brow was furrowed in concentration.

"I think I can get us back now. It'll be close, but I'll manage. Grab my shoulder." Yamamoto did so, and his vision warped as the space around them began to change.

* * *

 _ **With Sasuke, in the Realm of the Living...**_

The instant the fresh air of the living world hit his lungs, Sasuke stepped into a sloppy Shunpo. His fatigue made it difficult to be accurate, but he managed to get to Urahara's place with relative ease.

That was, until his feet hit the ground again.

He doubled over, his stomach burning as vomit forced its was up his throat. Pain racked his body, and through his blurry vision he was able to notice blood along with his lunch. _Seems that the side effects are setting in._ He waited for a moment, making sure that he'd be stable before standing.

He stumbled over to the door, his steps unsure and meandering. By the time he got there, he was able to make out the faint outline of Yoruichi in the door frame before he fell forward, his legs giving out.

He didn't pass out, thankfully. Yoruichi was saying something, but the migraine pushing in on his head was making it impossible to actually understand any of it. She caught him, slinging his body over her shoulder with unrealistic ease.

He wasn't sure where she'd taken him from there, but she soon laid him down. By now his entire body was shaking violently, and he felt blood begin to trickle from his nose and ears. It felt like someone was shredding his skin with thousands of serrated blades.

Nothing but the Tsukuyomi itself had ever caused him this much agony, and he had the feeling that this was tame in comparison to actual Soul Suicide. What was happening to him was the side effect of the overuse of his own power. He hadn't simply pushed himself too hard, he'd purposefully overloaded his Soul with so much power that his body simply couldn't sustain it any longer. Had he kept fighting after that, he would have died.

In fact, he would probably have died anyway, were it not for him achieving Shikai. After all, it was a foundational part of his being that had been made stronger. It wasn't the same with his Hollow powers. As much a part of him as they were, they could not simply become a founding piece of his Soul.

Before he could think any further, Sasuke felt a hand press against his forehead. His first thought was to retaliate, until he remembered just where he was. More than likely, it was Kisuke trying to figure out what was happening.

Then, the hand moved away so that only two finger pressed against him.

Sasuke could barely think in surprise before his consciousness left him.

* * *

 _ **The next day...**_

Sasuke woke up the next feeling _infinitely_ better. He still had a migraine from hell, but he'd manage. He moved, turning to sit against the wall behind him, only to notice that both Yoruichi and Kisuke were sitting a few feet away, watching him intently. Kisuke perked up, his eyes widening when he noticed Sasuke stirring.

"Ah! You're awake! You had us all worried there for a while, kid." His voice was as usual, flippant and nonchalant. But, the look in his eyes told Sasuke just how worried he'd truly been.

"You stupid son of bitch!" Sasuke barely had time to register the insult before Yoruichi backhanded him with enough force to knock him over where he sat. He looked up, narrowing his eyes in frustration.

"I thought we told you not to do anything stupid, you fucking prick!" This time she grabbed Sasuke by the front of his jacket, lifting him into the air to be at eye level with her.

Her eyes were bloodshot, and her hair was a rat's nest. She looked like she hadn't slept in over a week. She pulled him closer, so much so that their noses were nearly touching.

"You _ever_ pull some shit like this again, and I will fucking _end_ you, Sasuke." Her voice trembled as she spoke, and she seemed to let him go more out of weariness than actual fatigue.

He was... confused? No. That wasn't right. Shocked was probably a better word. He'd never realised that his decision would have such an impact on her. She was near the point of _weeping_ over him.

"I won't. I didn't want the Gotei to find us, but I suppose I was too late. Yamamoto agreed to leave us be. No more Captain class Shinigami are permitted to patrol Karakura unless given explicit instruction to do so." Kisuke smiled, his shoulders relaxing as relief washed over him.

"Oh, thank god. I don't think I'd survive much longer with that kind of stress." He said, sitting quietly for a moment before standing.

"You've done us an enormous favor, Sasuke. If you need _anything_ , at all, just let me know." He bowed slightly, tipping the green hat atop his head. "I'll be in the lab, if you need me." And with that, the mad scientist made his exit.

Sasuke turned to face Yoruichi, who had sat back down. She had a look in her eyes that Sasuke couldn't quite place.

"Something wrong?" She blinked, snapping out of a daze before regarding what he'd said.

"Hm? Oh, no. It's nothing. Just glad you didn't get yourself killed."

"Hn."

She gave him an odd look.

"Something wrong with _you?_ " He felt another wave of pain roll through his head.

"Migraine. Getting worse." He gritted out, putting a hand over his face in an effort to relieve the pain. Yoruichi stood up and walked over to him. She laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Well, once that headache fades, come find me. I can't wait to see your Shikai!" His eyes snaoped back open at that. She seemed to notice his bewilderment, chuckling lightly.

"You could feel that clash from across an entire _dimension,_ Sasuke. No way you could have done that without at least Shikai, dummy."

 _Well, best she never know then._

"Alright, I wi- agh!" He fell back against the mat as his head rocked with the most painful throb of pain yet. Yoruichi flinched, not expecting him to shout. She began to back away, a remorseful look in her eyes.

"Sorry, I'll be back with something for the pain." Before Sasuke could protest, she vanished into Shunpo. Sasuke let his head fall back onto the mat, sighing.

 _Damn woman._

 _"You don't mean that."_

 _Does it matter?_

 _"Yes, to the one who has to listen to it every single day."_

 _Cry me a river then, Inazuma._

 _..._

 _What is it?_

 _"Just relishing the fact that you can finally say my name."_

 _It is good to finally have something to call you by._

 _"Is that really all that this means to you?"_

 _I don't know, you tell me._

 _"Just go to sleep, Sasuke. You've earned it."_

Not bothering to fight her about it, he let his eyes drift closed, sleep taking him quickly as his mind shut off.

* * *

 **Hello! Been a while, hasn't it?**

 **This is the last action focused chapter of this arc, and it took me forever to actually put together.**

 **Pairing has officially been decided, by the way. Not going to announce it, you'll just have to be patient and see.**

 **Now, I'd just like to apologize for my past handling of reviewer responses. From this point forward any reviews will be addressed in the end of the chapter.**

 **Last thing, what do you think of Sasuke's Shikai? I kind of wanted it to be in relation to Amaterasu, but that felt a but too similar to the fic Eyes of the Soul. If you haven't read it yet, please do so now. It's amazing and by far the best NarutoxBleach crossover I've seen to date.**

 **So, I just went with his other elemental ability. Lightning.**

 **A more in depth explanation will given in the next chapter.**

 **That's all for today, Buh-Bye!**


	15. Recovery

Arc II, Chapter 6: Recovery

Pain.

Unimaginable, agonizing pain.

It was so much worse than the Tsukuyomi. So, so much worse. Every fiber of his Soul threatened to rip itself apart.

At least in the Tsukuyomi he was able to try and fight.

This? There was no fighting. No resistance. Just an endless stream of unrelenting torture. With every second he could feel his grasp on reality slipping, his ability to think coherently fading. There was only one thing that seemed to reach him through the madness.

Inazuma.

No matter how clouded his thoughts became, no matter how much the pain attempted to break him utterly, she was there. Even when she wasn't speaking, he could feel her presence giving him the will to stay sane. She burdened herself with his torment in order to ease his own agony.

For that, he would always be grateful.

He'd lost count of how long he'd been there, struggling to remain himself. A day? A week? A century? There was no way of knowing. All that encompassed his perception of reality was shrouded by the mending of his Soul.

That was probably the most ironic part of his situation. His body was being torn apart by his Soul's attempts to survive his own stupidity.

So he lay there, in the Urahara shop, clinging to what little sanity he had left.

* * *

 ** _Nine days_ later...**

"At least you can function again. Had you been of weaker will, you probably would have come out of this a vegetable." Kisuke said, his odd fan flared out to hide the obvious grin on his face. Sasuke gave the sentiment some thought, before pushing himself to his feet.

"I'll keep that in mind, Urahara. Have you gotten any word from the Gotei since I fell ill?" He asked. Urahara gave him a slow, hestant nod. His smile faded, and he set the fan down next to him.

"Well, we have gotten news, but it seems that our contact only wishes to speak with _you_ , no one else. They claim that you're the only one who could understand." That phrasing gave Sasuke a sense of foreboding. _"Could it be?"_ Inazuma responded quickly.

 _"Let's hope that this isn't what we think it is."_

He gave Kisuke a slight nod, before stepping past him into the communications room. It was an odd piece of work, nearly organic in its composition. He flicked one of the switches, then pressed a few different buttons. There was enough reishi in it that he was able to see each and every aspect of its construction, and use that to deduce the function of each input. After establishing a secure connection, he pressed the large 'call' button.

The screen turned to static for several seconds, before flickering to life as a figure with reddish orange hair stepped back from his end of the mechanism. Purple eyes glinted in the dark lighting.

"Hello, Sasuke Uchiha. I've heard much about you since your arrival in Soul Society. I must say, yours is quite the interesting tale." Sasuke wasn't paying attention. His mind was running at a million miles per hour, panic and adrenaline surging through his veins at a rate that should have given him a heart attack.

He had two Rinnegan.

He was an Uchiha. A powerful, possibly dangerous Uchiha.

"Who are you." It wasn't a question. It was a demand. The man seemed to hesitate for a second, as though he wasn't sure how to answer.

"My name is Nagato Uzumaki. I believe that Naruto had mentioned you at some point or another, but we've never met." That statement derailed Sasuke's entire train of thought. _"An Uzumaki? He must have stolen those eyes, then."_

 _"Just hear him out for a moment, Sasuke. We don't know what he wants."_

"So then, Uzumaki, what business do you have with me?" His words went seemingly unheeded for a moment, as Nagato turned away from the video feed.

"My business is my own, Uchiha. I know that Sosuke Aizen has framed you, as well as the other exiles. I wanted to warn you that his plans reach further than you could possibly imagine. Do not pursue him, do not come back to Soul Society." His words were spoken with authority.

"How do you know all of this?" Sasuke asked, his eyes narrowing as his suspicion grew.

"I can't say. Prying ears may be monitoring me. Just heed my warning, Sasuke. Do not return to Soul Society. Aizen knows of the Rinnegan's power, and he will do anything to take it from you." Before he could say anything else, the screen cut to black.

* * *

 ** _An hour later..._**

"So, you still wanna show us that Shikai of yours?" Yoruichi asked, possibly the seventh time in the last minute. They'd been gathered in the clearing outside the shop for almost ten minutes, gossiping in a hushed whisper about what Sasuke's Shikai could possibly be. After all, how could he have possibly survived Zanka no Tachi without one?

"For the last time, I will. Something troubling was brought to my attention, so forgive me if I need some time to think on it." Sasuke spat, his brow furrowed in mild anger.

 _"It's alright, Sasuke. I know that this is a very serious issue, but there's nothing we can do about it right now. We're barely even sane, Sasuke, at least give yourself some time to recover."_ She sounded more than a little reluctant to try and stop his thoughts.

 _"I already told you, I'm fine. What Nagato said isn't just important, it could literally determine the fate of Soul Society. If he's after my Rinnegan, then he must have found something pertaining to my past. Sosuke Aizen **cannot** obtain my eye, nor any Sharingan, for that matter. It would be catastrophic."_

 _"I understand that, but working yourself into the dirt over it won't help right now. You can train once you've gotten over the mending, just take a few days and **relax!** " _Her sudden shout caused Sasuke to flinch.

 _"No amount of self-torture is going to fix this, Sasuke. So let me make it very clear: **YOU. CAN'T. DO. ANYTHING."**_ As much as he despised it, loathed the very concept, she was right. For the first time, there simply wasn't a move for him to make. He was stuck.

And that made him _furious._

His eyes snapped open, provoked by the prodding of Shinji's finger against his left shoulder. He threw the Visored a glare before getting to his feet.

"You said you wanted to see my Shikai?" Everyone present nodded.

 _Good. Means they can't be upset when it crushes them._

He took a small breath before unsheathing his Zanpakuto. Raising it above him, a meandering beam of convulsing plasma erupted from the blade, bathing the entire area in an ethereal azure glow.

"Flicker, Inazuma." An influx of Reiatsu pushed every Shinigami present down to their knees.

"Holy shi-" Kensei's words were cut short as Sasuke's Reiatsu threatened to crush his diaphragm. It was a similar case with Shinji, who could do little more than sputter curses as he breaths became increasingly labored.

Sasuke let his spiritual pressure linger for a little over a second before reigning it in, allowing just enough of it to seep through to make them sweat.

"This is Inazuma." He stated, the arcs of lightning surrounding his body whipping into the dirt beneath him.

Yoruichi's reaction was by far the most interesting. Her eyes were wide, glowing blue in the reflection of his Shikai. She was completely speechless, captivated by the sight. It didn't last, though. After a few seconds of awe, she suddenly slapped herself, breaking the stupor she'd slipped into.

"So, uh... how's it work?" She asked, he voice slightly subdued by the constant hum of Sasuke's lightning.

"It's actually fairly simple. I can manipulate electricity, even use it to amplify my own strength. But, I'd say the biggest advantage is speed. All of my movements are multiplied by the speed of lightning, and it applies to my Shunpo and Sonido as well." He emphasized this by moving forward, so quickly that Yoruichi hadn't even noticed it when he reappeared just behind her.

"Dead." He said, tapping her on the shoulder.

She hadn't even been able to register it. He'd managed to not only blitz her, but when she was fully expecting it and prepared to stop him. It was like he'd just teleported. But, the telltale traces of static electricity where he'd been was a sure indicator that he hadn't.

What struck her as even more terrifying, was the fact that he hadn't even _used_ Shunpo.

She turned back to face him, barely keeping herself from showing any sort of surprise. She did have an image to uphold, after all.

"I would demonstrate its effects combined with Shunpo, but it would cause more collateral damage than I want to deal with." That shook her even more. Shunpo wasn't supposed to cause collateral damage.

"I'm gonna get you back, ya know!" She half-yelled, shoving her initial fear down. Sasuke shot her a challenging look, but didn't follow up.

"Now, if any of you need me, I'll be in my room practicing Jinzen." With that, his Shikai dismissed and he walked back inside.

* * *

"We need to find Nagato."

Sasuke had just finished Jinzen, only to open his eyes to Kisuke sitting across from him, fan flared out as usual. It took a moment for Sasuke to process what the inventor had actually said.

"Why the sudden rush?" He asked, but Kisuke moved on as though he hadn't even spoken.

"I've already talked to him since he spoke with you, and apparently his situation more dire by the second. Aizen is literally _hunting_ him across the Rukongai, and he's closing in fast. Nagato thinks he's got about three days until Aizen pins him down. I'm sending Yoruichi and Shinji, they're the best Shunpo users we've got aside from myself. I'll need to man the Senkaimon, so they need a third man for the jo-"

"Don't bother."

Kisuke seemed taken aback by Sasuke's interruption, and set his fan down before giving Sasuke a very particular look. After a deep breath, Sasuke began to explain.

"I learned something while I was fighting Yamamoto. When I released my Shikai, his ability to sense my Reiatsu somehow vanished." Something was wrong with Kisuke's reaction. His eyes held a certain... _knowing_ , in them, and Sasuke couldn't help but keep his guard up.

"Well, your Reiatsu vanishing had nothing to do with your Shikai. In fact, you never even used Shikai against the Head Captain, did you?" Sasuke's jaw hinged open slightly.

 _"What the fuck?"_

"No, if you'd been using Shikai your body would have been able to handle the excess energy you used. I've been trying to figure that particular conundrum out for a while now, and I can't seem to come to any other conclusion aside from there being an aspect of your eyes that you haven't told us about." His jaw was completely slack.

 _"I... wha... how?"_ Inazuma didn't speak, he could feel her awe across their shared Soul.

It took him a few more seconds to actually form a response.

"...How?" It was all he could think. Never in a thousand year did he think that his lie would be torn apart so easily. Kisuke spoke with the same level of ease that he might show a jigsaw puzzle.

"I'll admit, it wasn't easy to figure out, and I doubt I would ever have come to that conclusion if you hadn't just tried to use you Shikai as a stand-in. You're a good secret keeper when you want to be, much better than most Shinigami I know." Sasuke finally began to shake off his initial surprise, and realized that they'd drifted off-topic.

"Anyways, what do you think it means? Would I be able to replicate that effect?" He noticed Kisuke push down a chuckle before answering.

"Well, it's nothing complicated. I think a similar thing would happen were you to attain Bankai. Seeing as you're already one of the most powerful Shinigami in existence, you weren't that far off from it to begin with. Whatever you did with your eyes, I won't ask, pushed your Reiatsu levels beyond what your peers can comprehend. Kind of like how a third-dimensional being can't interact with a fourth. You transcended the limits of a Shinigami's strength. Yamamoto can do something similar with his Bankai, which is probably why your clash didn't kill either of you."

As insane as it sounded, Sasuke couldn't find a single flaw in Kisuke's explanation. His Rinnegan couldn't have caused it with any of its innate powers, it simply didn't work that way. The same could be said for just about any other ability he possessed.

That being said, he found the thought of 'transcendentalism' to be a bit off-putting. As satisfying as it was to have his strength validated, it also proposed that there wasn't much left to gain.

The prospect of his power plateauing was _not_ appealing.

 _"Sasuke. focus. You're in the middle of a conversation, you know."_ Her words snapped him out of his stupor, and he looked back over to Kisuke, who was giving him a odd look.

"It's nothing, just got distracted. So you think that as long as I repeat what I did then, my Reiatsu should be undetectable?" His reply was a simple nod.

"Just remember that there are cameras all over the Rukongai. Even one of them spots you, and you'll have the entire Gotei 13 coming down on your location within five minutes. Trust me, I'm the guy who made them in the first place. Mayuri most likely moved them, but he wouldn't be stupid enough to try and replace them. They're motion-activated, and can track Reiatsu signatures of just about any kind." As he finished, the makeshift Senkaimon sparked to life.

"Good to know. I should be fine, just make sure that Aizen doesn't follow me back." He said, and Kisuke gave him a thumbs up.

"Gotcha! Alright, we're pressed for time, get the hell out there!" Before Sasuke could stop it, Kisuke planted a foot in his back, shoving him through the Senkaimon.

As the door slid shut behind him, he couldn't help but feel a trickle of relief wash over him.

 _"Finally, something simple. Sorry, I doubt I'll be using you any for a couple of days."_

 _"Don't worry about it, just get Nagato and get out. I'd prefer a flawless mission over a flashy one."_

 _"Then it seems we agree on something for once."_ He began to walk, taking advantage of the Dangai's temporal displacement to take a leisurely stroll before he had to break into Soul Society single-handed.

After a few minutes, a strange sound reached his ears, making him turn to look behind him.

"Ah, the Cleaner. Guess we should get going, then." With that, he shot down the dark corridor with a powerful Shunpo.

* * *

 **Hello! Been a while, hasn't it? Honestly I've just been trying to figure out if I wanted to go to Bleach proper or not, but it seems that a final filler arc will be taking place.**

 **So, tell me, what do you think about me bringing Nagato into the fold? I'll admit, I was always planning on bringing another Naruto character into the mix, but it wasn't until just after the last chapter that I realised how much I like his character.**

 **Now, before you draw any assumptions, this will not be a very long arc. Two or three chapters at most.**

 **Also, Danish78, are you still around? Kinda miss your input.**

 **I guess that's all for this chapter, Buh-Bye!**


	16. Retrieval

Arc III, Chapter 1: Retrieval

When he emerged from the Dangai, Sasuke found himself staring directly into the eyes of a man. He was middle-aged, by the looks of it, and his charcoal eyes held a great deal of surprise. He leapt back, cursing at the air as he recovered from his initial shock.

"Shit, you scared the piss out of me!" He exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at Sasuke. He didn't pay the man much mind, simply waving him off as he began to scan the area around him.

 _"Looks pretty desolate... maybe outer Rukongai?"_

 _"It might be a good idea to ask that man, he may know more about the area than we do."_ Nodding in agreement, he turned to address the man for the first time.

"Where am I?" He didn't have the time nor the inclination for pleasantries. It wasn't until now that he noticed the Zanpakuto at the man's hip. He gave Sasuke a questioning look before responding.

"Well, right now you're in the outskirts of the Ashina District, way up North of Seireitei." Sasuke gave him a curt nod, and was about to step into Shunpo when the man laid a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Wait, what's your name? I can't help but notice your Zanpakuto, but I don't recognize you from any Division." Sasuke replied quickly.

"Classified. All I'm allowed to say is that I'm a part of the Second Division." It was probably the easiest excuse possible, but the Shinigami had no reason to question it.

"Ah, I get it. Well, the name's Isshin, just about to wrap up my patrol of the area. Any reason you popped up here?" This man was becoming too persistent for his own good.

"Once again, classified. Have you seen a man with dark orange hair and purple eyes in the area?" The newly named Isshin seemed to think for a moment, scratching the scruff of hair on his chin quizzically.

"Not anyone with purple eyes, but I did run into a guy with the hair color you're talking about. He was staying at an Inn not too far from here. I can show you the way if you want?" He didn't have time for this.

"No, I'll make it on my own. Return to your duties, Isshin. I must ask that you refrain from mentioning this encounter in any paperwork." It was a stretch, as Sasuke wasn't sure if unseated Shinigami even did paperwork. He gauged the man's initial reaction, noting that his eyebrows narrowed very slightly, as though he were hiding his own suspicion.

"Well, I have to report about meeting a Shinigami without warning, but I suppose I don't exactly have to say who..." Sasuke could barely believe it. He hadn't expected the man to find a loophole so casually. He broke the law like it wasn't punishable by death.

"Good. Now, as you were." Before he could get held up any longer, Sasuke stepped into a perfectly silent Shunpo, in the direction the Shinigami had come from.

It hadn't taken him long to find the Inn that Isshin spoke of. It was small, and there were exactly three people inside, including the bartender. One of them was a rather small man, with ruffled maroon hair that Sasuke almost mistook for Nagato's.

The other, however, was the last person Sasuke had expected to see. Not so early, at least.

 _"Well, that was quite simple."_

 _"Remember, Sasuke, we can't be sure of his identity yet. Speak to him."_ This could't be right. Search and Rescue operation never went this smoothly, especially with someone as dangerous as Sosuke Aizen involved. Sasuke had expected at least two life or death situations, both of which involved Aizen's victory.

In short terms, if Aizen showed up at any point during this retrieval attempt, the mission would be lost.

It wasn't due to his power, nor his obscene Zanpakuto power, no. It was his mind. Aizen operated with a level of tactical and creative genius that no man or woman, dieties included, that Sasuke had ever met could hope to match. It was as if the man was omniscient.

So imagine Sasuke's surprise when he saw Nagato, or what looked to be Nagato, sitting at a table in the far corner of the room.

He stalled for a second, still unsure of what he should do. This wasn't supposed to be so easy, and it most certainly raised a few red flags in Sasuke's mind.

Pushing that doubt aside for now, he quickly paced over to where the man was sitting. Laying a hand on the table, he cleared his throat.

"Are you Uzumaki?" It would be dangerous to throw out Nagato's first name initially.

The man looked up, the erie glow of the Rinnegan casting aside what remained of Sasuke's suspiscion. Nagato seemed to look him over for a moment, before suddenly grabbing Sasuke by his shoulder. Before he could stop it, Nagato carried them away via Shunpo.

When he finally felt his feet gain purchase on the ground once more, Sasuke found himself in a very strange situation.

First off, his immediate surroundings were bathed in moonlight. It had been nearly midday when he'd first arrived. It cast an almost too-perfect atmosphere on what he laid his eyes on next.

Standing there, arms slack and carrying a distinct air of nonchalance, was Sosuke Aizen himself. To make this insane chain of events even stranger, it seemed as though even Aizen himself was shocked by their sudden appearance. His eyes flicked from Sasuke to Nagato in an instant, his initial surprise being quickly replaced by that infuriating, knowing grin.

"Hn, I must say, I didn't expect for you two to find each other so quickly. No matter, it won't make very much of a difference." Sasuke barely paid attention, his brain was far too preoccupied with attempting to figure just what the hell was happening.

 _"What do we do? The mission just went to shit!"_ Inazuma replied almost instantly.

 _"Calm down, Sasuke. We can't afford any drastic moves yet. Aizen seems to be in the mood for monologues, so just wait and see what he says. Remember, we're unimaginably stronger than he is right now, and we're immune to his Zanpakuto. If it comes down to a fight, we should be able to win."_

Sasuke didn't like this. Every aspect of it screamed 'trap!' He tuned back into what Aizen was saying, glancing at Nagato to guage his current mental state.

"-gardless, I do hope that you at least understand my reasons. There is no room at the top for foreign beings like you. I alone will stand above all other beings, and a teenage Plus Soul with a chip on his shoulder will not challenge _my_ destiny."

Nagato seemed completely and utterly shellshocked. His eyes were caught in a daze, his jaw slackened as he struggled to comprehend their situation.

He and Nagato were pinned on all sides by Hollows. Each was outputting enough power to easily classify as Vasto Lorde, and seemed to be at Aizen's beck and call.

 _"Shit. This is bad. I can't fend off seven Vasto Lorde-class Hollows **and** protect Nagato simultaneously without going all-out, and if Aizen gets involved then one of us is **going** to die."_

 _"First, you need to take a deep breath."_ Just as Sasuke was about to speak, his sword cut him off.

 _"No. We can make it out of this just fine, Sasuke. You need to remember how much stronger you've become since the last time you and Aizen met. You_ _hold within you the power to raze entire **dimension** **s** to nothingness. A few Hollows should be nothing to you."_

 _"And you need to understand that **I can't afford** to use that power here! We're in the middle of Soul Society, where **millions** of innocent, powerless Souls lay unprotected. If I go all out, every single one of them will be wiped from existence!"_

 _"..."_

She seemed to understand, at last, just how _fucked_ _up_ this scenario was. Aizen had put him in a situation that demanded Sasuke to use all of his power, but also landing him slam in the middle of the most costly collateral damage imaginable.

In short, Aizen couldn't lose here. Not with so many innocent live restricting Sasuke's ability to fight. Not with seven insanely powerful Hollows cutting off any escape routes.

 _"What about_ _your Amonteijikara? Can't we just teleport back to the Living World?"_ It was a good idea, but...

 _"Aizen's too damn sharp. If I activate it, he'll immediately rush in and try to stop it. Even if he only tries to attack with his blade, it's an extension of his Soul and will still get him caught in the teleport."_

"Are you finished conspiring with your Zanpakuto yet, Sasuke? I must say, I'm becoming tired of waiting. If you're going to attack, I welcome the attempt." The challenge was obvious. That meant that Aizen had devised a possible method of stopping Sasuke's assault.

 _"But, there is **one** thing that he couldn't possible know about us. Even if he knows about the Rinnegan, that isn't our only trick."_ He had to struggle to suppress a smirk.

 _"You mind giving me a hand?"_ His Zanpakuot chuckled.

 _"Of course not. Just promise me one thing?"_

 _"What's that?"_

 _"That you'll turn this son of bitch into a charred corpse."_ His face broke into a feral grin.

 _"That goes without saying."_

He drew his Zanpakuto, violent arcs of electricity lashing into the ground around him as his Reiatsu began to skyrocket. He raised his blade, his glowing azure eyes crackling with power as he addressed his nemisis for the first time tonight.

"You're going to beg for death before daybreak, Sosuke Aizen. That much I can guarantee you." Aizen's eyes widened, beads of sweat rolling down his face as terror began to seize his body. It was as if Sasuke's bloodlust had become _palpable_. Aizen knew that the fear taking root in his heart was irrational, but all logic and rationality paled in the face of this boy's hatred.

It wasn't just bloodlust. It was pure, cold, unbridled **_insanity._**

His stupor was suddenly snapped when Sasuke began to shout, his voice shredding the air around him as the local oxygen began to turn to ozone.

 ** _"Flicker, INAZUMA!"_**

The surrounding landscape was atomized as all that Aizen percieved was suddenly enshrouded by a blinding white light.

 **Hello again! Sorry for the massive wait, ended up taking a vacation and got caught of in real life.**

 **So, I kind of took a massive turn from my original plan for this arc. What follows after is entirely unknown to me, and to be honest it's kind of exciting!**

 **Also, just wanted to give a huge shoutout to fellow FF author, Baconaddict, for giving me some ideas and pointers for this story!**

 **I suppose that's all for this chapter, Buh-Bye!**


	17. A Lesson in the Meaning of Power

Arc III, Chapter 2: A Lesson In The Meaning Of Power

Bolts of powerful lightning exploded across the area just outside of the northern Rukongai, the shockwaves of each arc flattening the local forestry and reshaping small portions of the landscape near the impact zones. This wholesale destruction, however, paled in comparison to the epicenter of it all. A single crater, over a mile in diameter and half as deep, scarred the area, smaller sparks of electricity criss-crossing the massive hole like a spider's web.

This epicenter was the result of one Sasuke Uchiha, who, in a righteous fury, had released a monstrous degree of power as his Shikai activated. Without even actually making any form of attack, the boy had managed to completely vaporize a vast portion of the surrounding forest.

Even with all of his pride, Aizen had to admit...

He _may_ have made a miscalculation.

The boy was _not_ supposed to have a Shikai yet. Aizen hadn't planned to deal with that eventuality for at least another year. True, Sasuke exhibited and extraordinary growth rate, even for someone of his talent, but even the greatest of Shinigami prodigies needed at least a decade of dedicated training and meditation to attain the first release.

This... _freak_ had done so in a matter of months.

 _Calm down. No need to have a mental breakdown over a single mistake. His strength is probably around five times greater than expected, but if all goes well it shouldn't matter. Victory is not lost._

The fear that had began to bubble up within him subsided somewhat, enough for him to don a confident smirk. The sweat dripping from his brow was now moreso from the residual heat of the lightning around him than abject terror.

"Beg? Well, I must say, I _am_ interested in seeing what you have in mind to reach that goal." He rested his hand upon the hilt of Kyoka Suigetsu. He flared his Reiatsu as high as it could go without Shikai, barely managing to equalize his power with Sasuke's resting strength. He knew that he'd need to fight as hard as he could just to _survive_ this encounter.

Sasuke didn't say anything in return, but the sudden spike in his Reiatsu told Aizen that he'd struck a small nerve. The boy's onyx eyes, shimmering with blue energy, locked onto his own, and Aizen once again felt that unquenchable lust for blood begin to seep into his mind. It was infectious, he knew. Even given the no doubt massive gap in power between them, Aizen knew that he shouldn't feel as afraid or vulnerable as he did.

There was little doubt, what he was feeling was the boy's unbreakable killing intent. He wasn't sure how Sasuke was able to meld it so thickly into his own Reiatsu, even the some of the more practiced Shinigami had trouble inflecting their personality and mental state into their Reiatsu signature. The only other Shingami Aizen knew who could do so with such intensity was Yamamoto himself. There was a reason why it was so difficult _not_ to submit to his power. The Head Captain's dominant nature infected those who felt it in his Reiatsu, and very few Shinigami could resist it. Merely standing when he exuded his spiritual pressure was a feat that only those with the strongest of will could accomplish.

Now it was starting to make sense that Sasuke unsettled the other Captains so easily. They were catching small glimpses of the boy's natural aura, what was now on full display to Aizen in all of it's terrifying glory.

Almost as if Sasuke noticed Aizen's sudden lack of focus, the boy instantly vanished from sight. Knowing that he hadn't used Shunpo or Sonido, Aizen was barely able to deduce that Sasuke had access to some form of _actual_ teleportation in time to narrowly dodge a light-speed overhead slash from behind. Using his sidestep to gain decent footing, he was able to leap back as Sasuke followed his sudden assault with a horizontal swipe, the air around him humming as his blade crackled with condensed energy.

 _That would have killed me._ It was a small realization, but it drove home just how much stronger the boy was than him. Were it not for how quickly Aizen could predict Sasuke's attacks, he'd have been dead on the first strike.

Which, incidentally, is why he brought backup.

With a single pulse of Reiatsu, Aizen forced the ten Hollows he'd manipulated with Kyoka Suigetsu to immediately join the fray. They all vanishes into Sonido, converging on Sasuke with such unified proficiency that Aizen was genuinely impressed.

 _These beasts would be able to give the entire Gotei 13 a near stalemate, if Sasuke can defeat them single-handedly I wouldn't have been able to stop him in the first place._

Luckily, Sasuke seemed pressed just to maintain a defensive against the onslaught of Vasto Lorde. He deflected a claw-swipe while simultaneously throwing himself upward to dodge a Bala, using his newly accuired Hierro to block another's attempt at gutting him, then finishing the altercation by teleporting a medium distance away to catch his breath.

Aizen felt his mind blank for a moment.

What kind of situational awareness did this kid posess!? What sort of training could he have possibly undergone in life to attain that level of reflex!? He countered every single attack without missing a beat!

He suddenly had a whole new perspective of Sasuke's threat level.

Returning his focus to Sasuke's battle, he was suddenly struck with a sight that made him genuinely re-evaluate his advantage in this fight.

Sasuke was in midst of holding back a Cero with his left hand, which crackled with the lightning of his Shikai, and dueling another _two_ of the Hollows with his sword arm. He was obviously pushing himself, but the way he instinctively used his forearm to block and deflect attacks while also managing several attacks of his own, all while holding back a wave of Reiatsu powerful enough to flatten _cities_ with only a single hand? Well, who the hell _wouldn't_ be intimidated by that?

Then Aizen noticed something, and his lips curved upward into a smirk. Sasuke's eyes, which had started out as a dark grey, were a deep crimson, with black marking stretching out from his pupils.

The boy had activated his clan's eyes. And, from the looks of it, they were currently in the second stage of their evolution.

Not long ago, Aizen had caught wind of another person from Sasuke's Realm of the Living being located in the Rukongai. The very same person that Sasuke had arrived with.

Nagato Uzumaki.

He'd been wary upon their first meeting, obviously not willing to devulge any of his world's secrets. But, after a small speech of idealism and a small application of Kyoka Suigetsu, he'd managed to convince Nagato to join Aizen and his group. Afterward, Aizen had discovered that Nagato posessed a similar ocular ability to Sasuke's. While it took a great deal of convincing, he'd talked the man into explaining the Uchiha clan's lineage, their strange 'dojutsu', as it was supposedly called, the Sharingan. It was a power not unlike his own Zanpakuto's, though definitely leagues below it in terms of potency. He'd learned that there were stages to its power, much like a Shinigami's blade, and that Sasuke's pattern-eye was actually the second srage of that power.

Beyond that, however, was the Rinnegan. Purple in coloration, it posessed a number powerful abilities, such as healing, summoning, and even the power to manipulate the soul itself. Needless, to say, Aizen had immediately seen an opportunity. That, and the idea of someone with the potential to split and manipulate the very essence of the spiritual world made Aizen quite troubled.

If one were to apply the Human Path in specific ways, it could do almost anything. In fact, it would even be feasible to do wha Aizen had for so long seen as a mere pipe dream. Erase the boundry between Hollow and Shinigami.

It was a stretch, to be sure, but it was not impossible. If those eyes could do what Aizen had spent decades developing what was, essentially, controllable omnipotence the size of his ear, then he needed to research it as soon as possible.

So, he'd ambushed Nagato with the intent of stealing those eyes from his head. It was a success, for a time. But, he'd managed to escape nearly two weeks ago. This was originally supposed to be a capture attempt. Aizen had found traces of Nagato's Reiatsu nearby, and decided to stake it out. The Hollows had been there as a precaution in case Sasuke happened to get involved.

Oh, how much Aizen wished he were wrong.

* * *

Sasuke hadn't fought this hard since his battle with Yamamoto.

Sure, he wasn't pushing himself to the absolute limit for the sake of the civilians not far away, but having to quickly react to and return blows, with ten combatants at once no less, was sharpening his focus in a way that reminded him of fighting other Shinobi. No room for error, one's precision needed to be perfect, and their wits sharper than a fresh kunai.

It was, in a word, euphoric.

The fact that these Hollows were each near his strength on their own was another thing that kept him on his toes. Seeing as he simply _couldn't_ afford his full power, it became a battle of sheer skill.

And, to his credit, Sasuke had fought against far, _far_ more skilled fighters than these animals.

He ducked another swipe of claws, dropping even further in order to perform a wide leg sweep as he blocked a Bala from above with Inazuma, flicking his wrist to deflect it into another Vasto Lorde's face while funneling some lightning into it to make the Hollow being hit remain stunned for just a second longer. He rolled to the side, deftly parrying an attack from his left and throwing a concise roundhouse to the beast's jaw. Its head rocked back, and Sasuke seized the moment to slash the creature's neck, ending it.

 _One._

Not letting the kill break his focus, he spun in a semi-circle to block and deflecr several Balas and claw-swipes, using one of his aggresor's overextensions to pull them forward, directly into his lightning covered hand, impaling it.

 _Two_.

Another Hollow leapt at him from behind. He quickly sidestepped the assault, firing off a Byakurai that made it stumble. Even as the thing made to correct itself Sasuke blurred forward in a near instant Shunpo, coming out halfway through a downward axe-kick to the back of its neck. It was sent flying to the earth, where Sasuke summoned his Shikai's power to strike it with an immense lightning bolt.

 _Three._

Even as that happened, he was forced to block a hastily charged Cero with his free hand, his Hierro barely able to withstand the searing heat of the Reiatsu wave. His instincts flared, and he managed to push himself out of the blast's path as he grabbed another Hollow by its cranium, forcing its face into the beam of concentrated energy until he felt its limbs go slack.

 _Four_.

He slipped into Shunpo, moving at immeasuable speeds to the Hollow he'd stunned with a deflected Bala not a second earlier, piercing its head with his blade and letting a burst of lightning blow its skull to pieces. Before any of the remaining Vasto Lorde could properly dodge or defend, he swung his blade in a wide arc, a massive wave of electric blue Reiatsu slamming into four of their torso's. Before it could dissipate, Sasuke briefly activated his Rinnegan in order to teleport behind the Hollows. Dismissing his god-given eye immediately, he fired a point-blank Sokatsui at each of them simultaneously, following that up with a spiderweb of summoned lightning that fried their already weaked and occupied bodies. The four of them were slowly turned to dust by the sudden onslaught of energy from all sides.

 _Eight._

Just as he focus slipped for an instant, a Cero managed to catch him full force in the back, sending him tumbling forward as he struggled to catch himself on reishi platforms. Cursing his own stupidity as he righted himself, he managed to soundly deflect the Bala follow-up in time to catch the second remaining Hollow by the wrist as it attempting to ambush him. Flaring his Reiatsu, he threw the creature away from him, then turned to block another assault to his right. Shifting his angle, he managed to push forward, sending the Vasto Lorde back by about a foot. It managed to dodge Sasuke's counter, however, through a Bala at his face in retaliation. He didn't the room to stop the blast, and threw his head down to avoid being killed on the spot. Using the momentum that movement generated, he cut a swit flip over his foe's head before twirling Inazuma into a reverse grip and impaling the beast through its neck.

 _Nine._

Turning to face his final opponent, he let his killing intent pour into he stare. The beast, to his genuine surprise, was completely unaffected, charging forward as though Sasuke hadn't just slaughtered his entire platoon.

 _"I suppose you Hollows are just bundles of raw hunger after all, it seems."_ He thought as he ducking its opening strike, before slipping underneath its guard to impale it through its bottom jaw.

 _Ten._

It was quite disappointing, really. The Vasto Lorde had been powerful, immensely so, but that didn't make much of a difference in the face of someone with equal power and infinitely greater skill. They were essentialy just hyper-powered berserkers. A very large step down from a genuine _god_ of battle like Yamamoto.

Casting his disappointment aside, Sasuke turned his gaze back to his true target, who was simpy casting him a confident smirk. That worried Sasuke. Aizen was not the type of person the fake confidence. If he felt like he were at a disadvantage, he'd simply make a hasty retreat and find a new method of attack. If Aizen was smirking, that meant he had yet to play his Ace. The man let out a light chuckle, pushing his blocky glasses further up his nose.

"Well, I must say I'm impressed. I doubt any Shinigami aside from Yamamoto would be able to accomplish such a sound victory over so many Captain-class opponents. I highly doubt that the Gotei would be able to defeat you, with how lax they've been with their training. That said, you've still got a lot of ground to cover if you want to best me, Sasuke. After all, there is more to absolute victory than victory in combat alone."

What came next happened to quickly for Sasuke to stop it.

A sudden flar of Nagato's Reiatsu made Sasuke snap his attention to him, just in time to see an impossibly long blade cleave through the unsuspected man's neck. Blow sprayed and flowed as the phantom Zanpakuto slid through Nagato's corrotid and jugular veins in short succession. The man's purple eyes widened, transfixed as his head was suddenly detached from the rest of his body in a single, swift motion.

He eyes did not slacken when his head hit the ground. His body slumped to the ground, its skin paling the blood rapidly pouring into the soil beneath it.

"Oh..." It was all he could say. What else could he possibly do?

 _"Oh my..."_ Inazuma's shocked voice whispered within him.

Nagato... was dead.

* * *

 **I regret absolutely nothing.**

 **Anyways, hello bitches! Finally back! Sorry this chapter took so damn long. Ended up going on a camping trip and it took me a minute (and severap rough drafts) to get back into the swing of things.**

 **Now, I notice that the ending may be a bit... graphic, to say the least. As such, do you guys think it would be better to up the story rating to M? I personally don't think it's quite that bad, but I'll let you be the judge.**

 **ALERT: NEXT CHAPTER IS THE END OF TURN BACK THE PENDULUM!**

 **You guys have no idea how excited I am to get into Bleach proper!**

 **But on a side note, how far do you guys want me to take this story? I was originally going to go until the end of the Fake Karakura Town arc, but I've recieved a PM asking if, since I showed Yamamoto's Bankai, I'd be cover the TYBW. Honestly, I don't really mind either way, but I wanted to get you guys's take on it.**

 **Well, that's all for now, Buh Bye!**


	18. Cost of Survival

**_Hello! It's been a long time, I know. Been really busy lately, but for anyone still reading this, Sorry it took so long. Enjoy the end of TBTP. Bleach proper will start in the next chapter._**

Arc III, Chapter 4: Cost of Survival

There was a certain numbness, he noted, whenever he witnessed the death of another. A strange, empty pang that overcame the shock and flooded his mind and heart with apathy. It was something he'd grown accustomed to long ago, yet he couldn't help but notice it now, as the last known link to his first life fell to the dirt. Somehow, someway, this death breached that numbness.

It hurt. It felt like all of the warmth in his chest was being strangled by a cold, loathsome viper. Phantom agony exploded in his Soul as the realization truly sank in.

 _"I'm alone."_

There was nothing left of his old life now, and he hadn't even noticed it until he lost it all over again. How much he genuinely ached over that loss of time. All of the effort put into getting stronger, into steeling his heart against the harsh reality of things, for nothing. Every dream he chased, every person he'd manipulated, it meant nothing.

He'd failed.

His entire life had been nothing but one misjudgement or failiure after another.

His hunt for Itachi? Pointless.

Fighting Naruto? Pointless.

Attempting to become Hokage? Pointless.

None of it mattered anymore. He'd buried it all by distracting himself with the afterlife for a while, but he knew that things would catch up with him eventually.

And, just like the rest of his life, it did so in the most blood-soaked way imaginable.

"So, I believe this facilitates my victory, given the scenario. Don't bother trying to push this battle any farther, Sasuke, for your own sake." Aizen's voice cut through Sasuke's mind, shattering his building self-hatred like thin glass. Here he was, the orchestrator of all of this, the one who'd turned his chances at a peaceful afterlife to dust time and time again, playing with his mind and emotions as though they were little more than a game of chess.

 ** _"NO MORE."_**

His Reiatsu exploded, rage and adrenaline surging through his veins at a rate he'd never even fathomed possible before now. The crackle of his idle Shikai became a constant, booming thunder as it whipped into the surrounding landscape, shredding deep trenches in the earth. His Rinnegan manifested, that extra power building and growing as his fury pushed it to the absolute limit.

He reached to his face, and _twisted_.

Dark tendrils of Hollow Reiatsu gathered around him, his Soul rejecting the savage power before being overthrown by Sasuke's sheer desire to _massacre_ the smug son of a bitch across from him. He embraced the new strength, feeling his mask solidify as his ability to think coherently began to slip. He looked Aizen directly in the eyes, and noticed a distinct lack of fear.

 _Then I'll **make** him afraid._

 _"Sasuke!"_

His spiritual pressure suddenly spiked as he lunged forward, using sheer power to close the gap between Aizen and himself before the latter could react and slinging a wild kick into the man's side with enough speed to cause a sonic boom before Aizen was flung to the earth at hypersonic speeds, blood spewing from his lips as his ribs cracked and splintered. His landing was rough, his velocity so great that he bounced off of the rocks and dirt several times before sliding to a stop.

Aizen hefted himself into a sitting position, his vision blurry as the head rush began to subside. There was a piercing pain in his side, though he knew that at least two of his ribs were badly damaged. Letting out a huff, he pushed himself to his feet, eyeing Sasuke cautiously. It seemed that the boy hadn't bothered with a follow up, which Aizen could only assume was due to the sudden explosion in his Reiatsu output. He was either getting cocky, or he was being cautious.

 _'Where did all of that restraint go? Seems that Nagato's death really did send him over the edge...'_ His lips curled upward, a small smirk breaking through his pained grimace.

 _'If that is the case, playing the long game will be our next step.'_ He pushed himself to his feet, still slightly shaky from the massive hit he'd just taken. He noticed that Sasuke had disappeared from his earlier position, and quickly checked his back in time to throw himself out of the way as Sasuke's Zanpakuto cleaved through the space he'd occupied.

After tracking Aizen's dodge, Sasuke instantly rushed in on him, his blade rending into the dirt as he slung it in an upward slash that let loose a torrent of volatile electricity. Aizen only had enough time to bring his own Zanpakuto to meet the assault, but his defense meant little to nothing, his arms collapsing in on his chest as Sasuke barreled through him like a raging bull. He was bodily thrown aside, hundreds of thousands of volts pumping through his nervous system as he barely managed to catch himself before immediately stepping into a rushed Shunpo.

 _'Clearly I've made a fatal error in manipulating this boy's Soul. His natural affinity for combat and intuitive mind have allowed him to progress far too quickly for my tastes. As he is now, he could easily wipe out the Gotei 13 if he found the inclination. I was too late in arranging for Yamamoto's capture attempt, gave him too much time to adjust to his new powers. Now he's quickly becoming a lethal thorn in my side, and I can do little aside from buy time until I might surpass him. If only the Hogyoku were complete...'_

His brain was firing on all cylinders as he did his best to avoid the wild and erratic slashes and stabs that Sasuke sent his way, often receiving deep gashes when he'd make a mistake. He thought of countless possible outcomes, filing through them until one finally stood out.

 _'Just in time.'_ He reached out, slamming his blade into Sasuke's with enough force to throw himself into the air as the boy easily deflected his false attack. He quickly sheathed his Zanpakuto, arranging his hand as he activated his Ace.

"Bakudo #99: Kin." The three total Reiatsu wells that Aizen had built up over the course of the battle suddenly burst, stored energy funneling into his Soul at a ludicrous pace. Using the newly accessed ocean of stockpiled Reiatsu, Aizen cast the second stage of the ultimate Bakudo technique.

"Bankin." Before Sasuke could move, the bindings of Aizen's supercharged Bakudo slammed into and around his body, forcing him into the dirt before stifling his power. Before long all that remained were his eyes, still in their most powerful state. He thrashed against the bindings, enraged growls and curses flying ferally from his mouth as Aizen touched down just in front of him, his smirk now stretched impossibly long.

"Well, it seems this strategy worked out quite well. I must say, I expected a bit more foresight on your part. Had you kept your emotions in check, you certainly would have noticed the Kido I'd casted during our fight. It's a spell I created that allows me to split my Reiatsu into smaller portions, which then grow in magnitude until I dispel said Kido. Then all of that power flows back into my body in nearly an instant, allowing for a single use before the energy stabilizes and returns to its natural potency."

Sasuke wasn't sure what Aizen was saying. All he could think about was what Aizen had done, and how he was completely helpless to take his revenge. The cesspit of negative emotions and self-loathing kept his Reiatsu burning at its peak, though it did little to aid in escaping the damned seal.

 ** _KILLHIMKILLHIMANDRIPHISDAMNGUTSOUTANDSHOVETHEMDOWNHISSMUGTHROAT_**

The maniacal ravings of his Hollow thundering within his mind made it difficult to think straight, as well.

He knew that he needed to get his shit together. He knew that his emotions and instincts needed to be quelled, and he knew that he had the power to keep them in check.

So why couldn't he stop himself from screaming? Every fibre of his being, every miniscule strand of sinew and the marrow in his bones _demanded_ that he break these restraints and tear Aizen into so many pieces that not even Yamamoto would be able to recognize the corpse. The need to bleed the bastard dry, to grab him by the skull and slam it into the earth until the bones shattered and the brain matter painted his arm red...

 ** _*snap!*_**

His lower spine and ribcage suddenly broke by means unknown to him, and after a very intense flash of pain his consciousness was extinguished.

* * *

 ** _7 hours later..._**

"What the hell are you talking about, Kisuke?! The kid's more stable than a fucking _mountain_ , even on a bad day!"

"And that's why I'm trying to tell you, he _isn't himself right now!"_ Kisuke shouted, the frustration of Yoruichi's ignorance to the situation beginning to wear on his patience. Things had gone from bad to apocolyptic in nearly an instant once Sasuke had confronted Aizen and his Hollows, the sheer backlash of that battle could be felt across Soul Society, and the fact that the Gotei hadn't sent so much as a single man to investigate convinced Kisuke that Aizen had used whatever power his Shikai held to stop the powers that be from taking notice. In fact, they'd probably have realized what kind destruction had taken place by now.

To say that things had gotten out of hand was... well, not even close.

"What makes you think that?" The gruff voice of Tensei interrupted his train of thought, the question causing Kisuke to let out an annoyed huff.

"Because his Reiatsu levels are completely haywire, which we only see in severe mental distress. That, combined with how little we actually know about his past and what he may have been through, means that I have make assumptions. Not a single one of those result in anything less than a complete psychotic break after Nagato was killed. At best, he'll be excessively violent for a while. At worst, he's gone completely insane and will turn this entire dimesnion into literally nothing the moment he wakes up." He paused, letting the weight of their problem sink in. Yuroichi seemed to still be in slight disbelief, but thankfully Shinji and Tensei understood completely.

Shinji was the next to speak up. "Well then, we need to start thinking things through in case the worst happens. Give me the truth here, Kisuke. How fucked are we if he goes berserk? Do we have any means _at all_ of putting him down?" His question brought a grim mood to the room, one that was perpetuated by the shopkeeper's ominous silence. Nearly a full minute passed, before the man removed the hat atop his head and coughed into his hand.

"Frankly, there are only a couple of creatures in any of the three dimensions, that I know of, capable of withstanding even _half_ of what Sasuke can do. The only person who's survived an all-out assault from him was Yamamoto himself, and even then he was knocking on death's door. I doubt that even the entire Gotei could stop him at this point. His powers have evolved to such a rediculous degree that most Kido arts are going to be ineffective. In fact, I'd rule out anything except Dual-Casted spells of the highest caliber as being even remotely useful in an engagement with him. Our best bet is going to be a Kurohitsugi fueled by literally every single Kido user of Lieutenant rank or higher, and even then we may only succeed in incapacitating him." He stopped for a moment, giving his comrades a chance to speak. Yuroichi took it, her voice fairly subdued compared to earlier.

"You really think he's that strong? I mean, yeah, he's way beyond any of the other Captains and could outsmart a lot if them, but could he actually wipe out the _entire_ Gotei 13? How is that even possible?" Kisuke answered after a short pause.

"Yuroichi, I think he could beat the _Royal Guard_ if he really wanted to. I neglected to tell any of you this, but it was recently confirmed to me by Sasuke himself that he unlocked his Shikai _after_ stalemating Yamamoto's strongest attack, not before."

That bit of information seemed to somehow stun them all even further, with Shinji working his jaw to try and speak. Tensei was in a similar state, his mind blanking for a moment as he considered what such a revelation could entail.

Yuroichi, however, was quick to speak again. "So then what the hell are we gonna do? We don't have anything that can stop him, not when he has that much power to throw around." She spoke with certainty, which Kisuke was relieved to see.

"I have _on_ _e_ idea. And I mean that quite literally. No backups, and definitely no way to make it foolproof." Kisuke announced, though his words were strained, nearly growled.

Shinji was next to speak up. "Well, let's hear it then. Reio knows, I'm stumped."

Kisuke gave him a nod before continuing, "Seeing as we've clearly established that direct combat is pretty much a non-option, I propose that Tessai and I work on a method of separating and sealing a large chunk of his Reiatsu. With any luck we'll be done by the time Sasuke wakes up, and if he's still sane then I'll let _him_ decide if he wants to keep the seal or not. As a cautionary measure I've set several Bakudo-based Kido traps to slow him down if he wakes up in a violent state." The look on Shinji's face when Kisuke finished his proposal said enough.

"You seriously think that putting a doorstop on this kid's Reiryoku is gonna be enough?" He asked, his eyes slightly widened. "He's got a lot more than just raw power going for him, Kisuke. That brain of his makes this more complicated than just stopping him from using his Reiatsu." Kisuke seemed to give the statement some thought, wistfully tapping the end of his cane as he weighed his options.

"Look, if he turns on us, it won't be him we're fighting. Sasuke has an Inner Hollow, same as all of you." He gave a nod to the Visored present. "That means that _if_ he loses control, we'll be dealing with something significantly less intelligent than Sasuke. He wouldn't attack us if he wakes up sane, trust me."

That gave Hirako a moment of pause.

After a few short seconds of silence, he spoke again.

"In that case, I'll trust your judgement. You know him better than I do, after all." The defeat in his tone told Kisuke that the issue was settled. For now, anyway. Turning to look at Tessai, he gave the hulk of a man a smirk.

"You ready to get to work? Who knows how long we've got till Sasuke wakes up?"

The behemoth gave an affirmative grunt, obviously preferring to remain silent. Taking his friend's confirmation, he quickly ushered the Visored out of the Shop.

* * *

 _Blackness._

 _The pit was dark. It was vast._

 _And it was empty._

 _Except for him._

 _Rage._

 _His anger burned brighter with every passing moment, his desire to destroy the world that had betrayed him unyielding against the encroaching grip of madness..._ _A whisper, one without name and without purpose, echoed softly throughout this empty void. It's message was unclear to him, a single word familiar to him among it plea._

 _"Sasuke!"_

 _It was muted, nearly non-existent against the constant ring of this blank space. But even so, it persisted. Valiant and determined, that tiny whisper continued to drone on, speaking that same, familiar word._

 _"Sasuke! ...ke...p!" Something changed. The voice, which at first had been completely foreign to him, began to become recognizable. It was something about to desperate, high pitch of it._

 _It was female, and it's words could only be addressing **him**._

 _Or was there even a 'him' to begin with? Nothing about the reality of this existence had ever given him the reason to call himself anything other than 'I'. When had he known to call himself anything else? All he had ever known was the darkness of this hazy, black void. What had changed?_

 _"Wake up!"_ _... Those words. Those words were what had changed. He could hear their meaning, the structure of each syllable clicking into place as their definitions became clear to him._

 _But why? This certainly wasn't a dream._

 **"WAKE. UP!"** _There was a brilliant flash, the entirety of the abyss was illuminated with blinding, azure light._

* * *

His consciousness suddenly snapped into focus, his eyes flickering open for a moment as he felt life flood into his body.

Pain.

That was the first thing he noticed. His lower back felt like it was on fire, though it was far from being anything more than annoying. After facing both the Tsukuyomi and the early stages of Soul Suicide, he was confident in the fact that his ability to endure pain was _fa_ _r_ beyond what most could handle. Pushing through it, he lifted his upper body from the ground, his mind still feeling lost as to where he was. This place was... odd.

Crimson skies greeted him, cloudless, as a vermillion sun burned in the distance. He looked down, his only sight being the endless chasm of darkness below. For moment he almost was surprised, before the slowly ebbing trickle of returning memories reminded him that the equator of this world was a solid plane of flat air. Letting out a small sigh, he noticed that while he certainly didn't recognize this place, his knowledge of it definitely seemed to be born of experience. He'd been here before.

"Well, of course you have. This is _your_ world, after all." A strangely familiar voice broke him from his contemplation. Her voice was soft, confused. He turned his head upward, craning back to see the source of it. She was tall. Her face was soft, crimson eyes sparkling in the bloody glow of this reality. He felt a spark of recognition, a sense of familiarity that seeped up from the bottom of his mind. He gave her a apologetic smile.

"Sorry, I think my memories are still trying to place themselves. I can't remember much, but I do think I recognize you. You said this was my 'world', what does that mean?" The look that crossed her face was one of total shock. Obviously she wasn't expecting such a response.

"Wonderful." She said, before taking a deep breath.

"Well, we don't have time for your psyche to play catch-up. You're name is Sasuke, you are a dead Shinobi who is probably one of the most powerful beings in existence. I am a fragment of your Soul, called a Zanpakuto Spirit, my name is Inazuma. I-" Her blunt explanation, poor as it was, drifted off as she noticed that the look of utter confusion and delirium had shifted. It became the familiar, cold stare that she was so used to.

"Are you back?" She asked, his response came with a degree of hesitation.

"I believe so. Some things are still hazy, but I remember all of the important stuff. You, the Visored, Soul Society, and _Aizen._ " There was a small pulse of Reiatsu as he said that sorry bastard's name, as if he'd forgotten his hatred for the traitorous Shinigami. There was something off, however, about Sasuke's Reiatsu. Normally, it could be described as terrifyingly refined and potent.

Now? It was completely uncontrolled. His power flexed and bent with his thoughts, and even the slightest anger sent it into a whirling frenzy of destruction and hatred. She knew that Sasuke hadn't taken Nagato's death well, but...

"You can't keep doing this to yourself, Sasuke." She decided to test the waters. Sasuke's reaction was, at first, confusion.

"Really?" She continued, still not sure if Sasuke was even aware of what she was talking about.

"Everytime you lose something, you completely shut down. You completely lose it, and then try to blame yourself for what happened. I share your memories, Sasuke, remember that I've seen you in the aftermath of your worst moments. I know how you deal with loss."

"And how is that, exactly?" He asked, his gaze shifting slightly as he stood.

"You don't. You never _deal_ with it. You just bury it and live with the sense of false guilt until you get used to it. I meant it when I said that your willingness to understand yourself was all I needed to trust you, but if you can't see those moments for what they truly were, you won't even get close to the kind of self-understanding you seek."

Her gaze was cold, and unforgiving. She couldn't afford to coddle him like she had anymore. He was going to have to deal with the truth, either now or later.

"I don't feel normal." Inazuma had seen Sasuke when he was ill. This was not illness. The very tone of his Reiatsu was changing, rapidly.

"That's because you aren't _normal_. Your mind has been put under so much strain, so much pressure, that it's getting close to the breaking point. Your Reiatsu is out of control because you Soul is trying to keep your psyche intact. That, of course, is represented by me, talking to you right now." His reaction was immediate, his eyes widening as his jaw slackened slightly.

"Is there a way of stopping it?" She didn't try to get his hopes up.

"No. Right now, all you can do is live with it. Over time, as you mind begins to heal, you'll find it easier to control. We were already fragile, Sasuke, and Nagato was just too much. For now, I want you to stay _completely_ out of combat. As much as I want to murder that _bastard_ Aizen, our Reiatsu is liable to completely give out if we try to use too much while we recover." _That_ , however, triggered a reaction that she hadn't expected.

His eyes shifted immediately to their peak, the Rinnegan and Mangekyou narrowing as Sasuke growled.

"You think I'm going to just _give up_? You think I'm going to let that rotten _fucking monster_ jus-"

 **"Sasuke."**

The hard edge in her words silenced him immediately. She let the silence reign for a moment, before continuing.

"I never said you couldn't fight. All I'm saying is that if you try to put out too much, the entire structure of your Soul could collapse from the strain. Just remember to keep things small for a while. No more fighting people who could end the world, and absolutely _no Shikai._ " Her words were met with a resigned sigh, before Sasuke leaned back, forming a reishi platform behind him to lean against. His arms fell slack, the stress within him seeming to melt away as he thought through the limitations he now had.

"Alright. I won't use any more energy than I need, and I'll try to avoid needing much." His decision was easy. He was already stronger than he could have ever dreamed, and who knows, maybe being average again would make things more interesting?

His Zanpakuto smiled, before stepping back into the shadows of his subconscious.

 _"In that case, I'll let you wake up now. You been asleep for so long, I can't imagine what the others are going to say."_

 _"What? Just how long have I been asleep exactly?"_ A small chuckle echoed within his mind.

 _"Just try and take things slow for a while, the World of the Living has changed a great deal in you absence."_

Wonderful. Now he was probably _decades_ behind in terms of progression, planning, _and_ his allies were probably either dead or had forgotten him.

Taking a calming breath, Sasuke began to let himself slip back into the Living World.

" _Let's hope things are still... well... **mostly** alright."_

* * *

 ** _So, how was it? I do regret the way things are about to transition, but I just don't have enough ideas to last all 100 years between TBTP and canon._**

 ** _WARNING: This is going to be way different from canon. Like, completely. The only things that are going to be the same are the basic progression of the Arcs, with a bit of scene recreation every now and then._**

 ** _WARNING 2: This story is going to get really fucked up in the future, so trigger warning for what may lie ahead._** ** _Well, I guess this is it. TBTP Arc, completely finished._** ** _Buh-Bye!!!_**


	19. Tension

**_-Volume II: Strawberry and the Avenger-_**

Arc I, Chapter 1: Tension

* * *

Waking up had been... _jarring_ , to say the least. His body was almost completely stiff, the apparent years of stagnation leaving his muscles and joints unused to movement. He took it as a blessing, however, that his body hadn't atropheed in the slightest.

Next, he realised that his eyes were sealed shut, to an extent. At first he simply laid there, attempting to slowly open his eyelids, only to be denied. After a couple more, slower attempts, he felt his patience wear thin, and he snapped his eyes open with a miniscule burst of Reiatsu. There was a sharp pain as wells of energy that possibly hadn't been tapped in decades began to re-circulate his body.

At first all he could perceive was blinding, painful light. It only lasted a few moments, however, and soon his was able to blink the drowsiness and stiffness from his vision. The room was familiar, being the same place he'd woken after nearly killing himself, again, against Yamamoto.

He forced himself to stand, pushing through the protests of his neglected muscles as he stretched. He ran through several basic morning exercises, and before long he felt well enough to get ready for whatever was coming next. He threw on some clothing that Urahara had left at the foot of his bed, which actually fit quite well. Obviously Kisuke understood that Sasuke preferred practicality over style, as they were simple, dull grey garments that were loose enough to move freely in without being baggy enough to be a hazard in combat.

Sliding on a pair of geta that were left by his door, Sasuke stepped into the hallway. A small red flag set him on edge.

 _Normally they'd have definitely reacted to my Reiatsu by now. That either means that they aren't in the immediate vicinity, or something is **very** wrong._

He let his senses expand, pouring over the entirety of Karakura as he searched for anyone even remotely familiar. It wasn't long before he was able to feel several familiar Reiatsu signatures clustered around the Visored's hideout. If his memory was correct, they consisted of the majority of the Visored, minus Shinji, Hiyori, and Aikawa.

That actually concerned him quite a bit, as the Visored were almost always hidden by Hachi's stange Kido-barrier. The idea that so many of them would leave the hideout for no reason other than to stand there was ridiculous to him, so he figured it best to drop by and make sure things were under control.

 _I bet that the rest of them have finally dominated their Hollows. That should be interesting._

 _"Just be careful. I wasn't expecting you to wake to such strange circumstances, so be on guard."_

 _Understood, Inazuma._

Without any further discussion, Sasuke stepped into Shunpo. The familiar feeling of air rushing against his skin soothed his nerves slightly, and served as a refreshing wake up call to his mind.

It didn't take him long to get to the hideout, maybe a couple of minutes.

The instant he stepped out of Shunpo, he saw each of the Visored snap their heads upward, towards him. Their expressions were... mixed.

Most of them seemed more shocked than anything, though he noticed that Kensei and Lisa seemed to tense up, their hands resting upon their Zanpakuto. He looked each of them in the eye, searching for even a spark of recognition. To his relief, multiple jaws dropped in unison as he heard Kensei address him.

"Sasuke."

He stepped downward, crossing the small distance between himself and the ground in an instant. His speed obviously caught his old aquaintance off guard, as the man took a swift step back, his hackles raising as his instincts warned him of a predator he couldn't hope to outrun. Sasuke made a mental note to slow down a little.

"Calm yourself, Muguruma, paranoia doesn't suit you." He said, making it clear that he hadn't come here with ill-intent. Kensei seemed to collect himself, squaring his shoulders and straightening his back as he looked him over.

"It's been a long time since I saw you awake."

"I've been told."

This wasn't what Sasuke had been expecting. They were far more wary of him than they'd been before he'd left to find...

 _"Move on, don't linger on something that could disrupt your control."_

 _Right._

"Is there a particular reason why you all reacted the way you did? We were on good terms, last I remember." The question immediately put the rest of the Visored on edge, he could tell. All of them tensed up, slightly, and diverted their gazes away from him.

"Kisuke told us to be careful once you woke up, said you might be unstable." Shinji's voice cut through to silence that had set in, and the fact that Sasuke hadn't sensed his approach was enough to make him turn, swiveling his head around to look at Hirako with a questioning look.

He looked... different. His hair was much shorter, for one, and his face had the spatter of fresh blood across his cheek. There was a relatively deep gash in his left forearm, one Sasuke assumed to be from the biting edge of a Zanpakuto.

Wonderful. Looks like things had gone far worse than he'd expected.

"You look the same." Was all he said, that familiar lopsided smirk working its way onto Shinji's face.

Sasuke felt a wave of bitter-sweet nostalgia hit him, and it was almost enough to make him smile in return.

Almost.

"I'd hope so. Haven't moved a muscle in so long I almost forgot how." Somehow that statement was amusing to Hirako, as he began to chuckle lightly. His mirth only lasted a few reserved seconds however, when a realization struck his features. He immediately turned to look at Kensei, who returned the serious glare in kind.

Kensei spoke first, "Is the Arrancar dead?" The term was completely foreign to Sasuke, who opted to simply listen.

Shinji responded quickly, "Yes. It was stronger this time. Then again, they always are. This one wouldn't tell me shit, just went straight for the kill. I think they're getting wise to our little interrogation method, right before I could start, the bastard flipped me off and burst into flames. Wasn't even any Reiatsu leftover to bring to Kisuke."

From the sound of it, they were in the midst of some serious conflict. And, if his statement was accurate, their adversaries were getting more powerful as time went on.

 _This isn't good. It sounds like this had been going on for some time. What do you make of it?_

 _"Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue. Until we learn more, all I have is ideas. This could be anyone, and that includes Aizen. Just focus on getting caught up to speed for now, alright?"_ He gave an affirmative pulse of emotion across their Soul. Turning his focus back to the Visored, he began to walk closer.

Shinji noticed his approach, and gave Sasuke his attention. He seemed to understand what Sasuke was asking for, as he didn't wait for him to say anything.

"About twenty years back, a really powerful Hollow was dropped into Karakura without any indicators of it arriving. It started killing a lot of people, and it took us a while to pin the fucking thing down. Whoever put it here obviously didn't want Soul Society to notice it, cause it had a Reiatsu muffling device sown into its skin that made it completely undetectable. Ever since, another one appears every week or so, and every time it's at least a little stronger than the one that came before it. They get smarter, too. More refined. We think that means that whoever is making these things is getting better at it. They're starting to look almost human."

That was... a lot to digest. He shelved the information, deciding to remain in the present.

"Where are Kisuke and Yoruichi? I would have expected them to have shown up by now." He was beginning to notice the differences between the Visored he'd known, as opposed to what time and conflict had forged them into over the decades.

They were all tired. Tired and _strong_. Each of them had progressed so far, it was almost unrecognizable to him. It was hard to guage, given his position as far as power was concerned, but he could see it when he focused hard enough. They were older, worn by the unending assault of those mysterious invaders. But even still, they seemed all the more dangerous for it. There were scars all over their bodies, varying in depth and severity, and Sasuke could only imagine the battles that could have caused them.

Shinji spoke, his tone fairly light, given the previous topic, "Right now I think Hatn'Clogs is busy in his lab. Guy's been lookin' for a way to track those fuckin' Arrancar for years, he only ever comes out of that lab to check on you and help us kill those bastards." Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the use of that nickname, but said nothing of it. The fact that he hadn't been able to detect Kisuke at all, however, gave him reason to speak.

"Why didn't I sense him when I woke up? He would have been just a few yards away if he was in the lab, surely he'd have noticed my absence by now?" Hirako gave him a look that Sasuke couldn't quite read, chuckling to himself before replying.

"That's because his lab has been surrounded by a seven inch thick layer of sekki-sekki stone for nineteen years now, so the Arrancar couldn't get the jump on him during his research. Man never rests, I swear." That poked at Sasuke's curiosity. Why would Urahara care _that_ much about being able to detect those creatures? Was it truly that much of a disadvantage?

"Why put so much effort and time into simply tracking them?" Shinji stiffened at his words, as did nearly all of the Visored. Speaking of, where were the other two?

"I assume you noticed that Hiyori and Love aren't here?" It was almost dismissive, as though he already knew what Sasuke's answer was, and continued before Sasuke could actually speak, "That's because both of them were killed nineteen years ago. An Arrancar that was way too damn powerful for its own good got the drop on them during a fight." The Visored took a deep breath, "It didn't show any mercy. That was the kick in the ass that got us to buckle down, and start trying to get stronger. Sometimes the jump in power between those fuckers is massive, and we needed to be prepared for it to happen again. All of us have been diced up a few times for slacking off between attacks." His words were resigned, and bitter.

The news that Hiyori and Aikawa had been slain was shocking, to say the least. Both of them were skilled fighters, who no doubt had gotten far stronger as the years went by. It was a shame.

"I'm sorry to hear about that." And he was, truly. He knew the sting of loss well. Hirako cracked a small grin, shaking off the moody atmosphere in nearly an instant. It seemed that he didn't like to dwell on the past.

"Anyways, Kisuke should still be at the shop, if you want to go talk to him and get caught up. We're about to be pretty damn busy running recon, seeing as that Kuchiki girl just showed up. Speaking of which, make sure you get Kisuke to fill you in on our situation with Soul Society." He gave a affirmative nod, stepping into Shunpo a second later. He regretted not being able to interact with the others, but he had too much to catch up on right now. It would have to wait.

* * *

 ** _Five minutes later..._**

He knocked, rather roughly, on the door. The sound of his knuckles clacking against the wooden slab echoed slightly, in the deafening silence of the shop.

Just as he was about to knock for the second time, he heard a strange mechanism shift just behind the door, followed by a multitude of softer clicks. After several seconds, the sounds ceased, before the knob of the door began to turn. He took a step back, giving the person opening the door enough space to come outside.

To his surprise, the door violently swung open, and a blast of Reiatsu slammed into his chest with an intensity that almost made him lose his balance. He snuffed it out with a pulse of his own, more powerful Reiatsu, and looked up to see who had fired the bolt of energy.

Standing there, her eyes wide and breathing slightly rushed, was Yoruichi. She was obviously wounded, with a bandage wrapping around her midriff that was partially soaked through with dried blood. He couldn't help but notice that she had nearly as many scar across her body as the Visored had. It seemed to take her a moment to fully realize who she was looking at, her stance relaxing as she began to recognize his Reiatsu. He didn't hold it against her, he'd been asleep for so long that she'd probably completely forgotten what his spiritual pressure felt like.

"... Sasuke?" She almost stumbled over her words, her shoulders drooping as she began to actually relax.

He didn't get an opportunity to answer her, as Urahara poked his head through the door's threshold the instant his name left her lips. Kisuke's eyes locked with his own, and for a moment he could almost see caution in his gaze, as though he were looking at a rabid animal. That scrutiny faded almost instantly, however, and he stepped fully into view. He was garbed in an emerald green Haori, and Sasuke couldn't help but notice the similarity to their first meeting.

"Sasuke! You're awake?" His voice was hoarse. To the point that Sasuke was astonished that the man was even speaking at all.

"Yes. I probably woke up about twenty minutes ago. I wasn't aware that you'd hidden your lab from detection, so I went to speak with the Visored to figure out where you were. I heard about the Arrancar." He said. Kisuke let out a breath, and Sasuke could only assume that he was glad he wouldn't have to explain the issue himself.

"Then you know just how bad our predicament is. Listen, I'm not going to sugarcoat this, but if you hadn't woken up now, I'm not sure if we would have survived another year." The depth and severity of his voice told him that Urahara was being completely honest with him, which gave him pause. Just how dangerous were these Arrancar, if even _Kisuke_ was reaching his wits end?

"Are these Arrancar truly that deadly?" He asked, Kisuke was quick to answer, his eyes narrowing sharply.

"They are. The one that Shinji just killed was strong, but we were prepared. We knew when it was going to strike, and we had an idea of how strong we needed to be to handle it, but that won't last forever. Those things are getting stronger, and the gap between them is widening faster than any of us can keep up with."

That was immensely troubling.

"We need you, you're the only person I know of that can adapt to their power gap quickly enough. We have one prospect lined up, but..." He drifted off, but Sasuke could tell that he'd rather avoid that subject. He couldn't allow that.

"Urahara, I need to know _everything._ Who are you talking about?" The shopkeeper grunted, probably getting up the will to speak.

"It's a boy. A living boy by the name of Ichigo Kurosaki."

...

 _What? A **Human?** Why? _

"Are you serious? A human boy was you best option?" Kisuke seemed to almost scoff, giving him the impression that this Kurosaki was more than Sasuke was privy to.

Urahara crossed his arms, and Sasuke could feel a mild turbulence in the man's Reiatsu.

 _He's proud of the boy. I'm surprised he's putting so much faith in him._ Inazuma didn't have to respond, her thoughts on the matter were felt as a pulse of emotion across their Soul.

His inner musings were interrupted as Kisuke spoke, "I wouldn't have involved him if I didn't think he could could handle the responsibility. His family history is practically _soaked_ in the affairs of the afterlife. His father was a powerful Shinigami Captain, his mother was a Quincy, and he's already been manipulated by Aizen. He's infected with Hollow Reiatsu and doesn't realize it yet."

That changed things. The fact that Aizen had taken an interest in the boy could mean a lot of things, but from experience, it couldn't be good. At all.

The distant voice of Inazuma echoed throughout his mind, _"We need to meet that boy, as soon as possible. If Aizen has set his sights on him, he needs to be aware of the danger he's going to be in. I refuse to let him get played with like you were."_

 _Agreed._

He ended the dialogue there, re-focusing on Kisuke just before the shopkeeper began to speak again, "He's down in the training ground, if you want to meet him." Sasuke nodded, shoving the sudden pang of annoyance deep into his heart. It really irritated him that Urahara could read him so easily.

With a look of knowing on his face, the former Captain stepped past him, moving down the hall towards the basement hatch. Sasuke followed shortly, with Yoruichi close behind. He could feel her eyes on him, though for what reason he wasn't quite sure.

"You talked with Shinji?" Her words were quiet, almost submissive. What had happened to steal away the bite that Sasuke remembered in her voice?

He said, "I did," He didn't know what she was getting at, but he had a decent guess.

"So you know what happened?" Again, her voice was almost too quiet to hear. He narrowed his eyes, halting his steps to turn and look her in the eyes, "Hiyori and Aikawa? Yes, I heard." She flinched back, not expecting his momentum to change so quickly. This wasn't the Yoruichi he remembered. Nothing was the same anymore, it seemed.

"Forgive me. It's strange, things have changed so much in my absence, I can barely identify any of you as who I remember you being." She seemed to understand, her lips turning into a strained, sad smile. Definitely _not_ the Yoruichi he remembered. "I think I can understand that. A lot happened while you were asleep. Too much."

"I won't ask you to relive anything." He knew such empathy was abnormal for him, and Yoruichi's surprised gaze was enough to confirm it to him. He didn't care, though. He wouldn't be willing to divulge his worst moments with anyone, and he wasn't ignorant enough to assume that she would be any more willing to than he. She tilted her head downward, a look of gratitude shining in her golden eyes, " _Thank you._ "

The amount of emotion and relief behind that statement... Sasuke didn't even want to _start_ trying to decipher it.

"We should keep walking, Urahara's Reiatsu is becoming impatient." He could only tell because of the fact that he'd left the hatch open behind him, allowing Sasuke to sense the multitude of Reiatsu signatures within the training ground. She seemed to agree, turning to walk away. He followed, turning his focus back to the boy he was supposed to be meeting.

Both of them simply dropped into the entrance, with Yoruichi lagging behind to close the thing behind them.

When his feet hit the dirt, he snapped his eyes up to have a look at these new arrivals.

The first he made eye contact with was a caramel skinned man, even taller than Tessai, with bedraggled brown hair that fell over somber hazel eyes. Everything about the man was backed by what Sasuke could only describe as a will of stone.

The second was a young girl, no older than himself before he died, with cascading ginger hair that was pinned to frame her face by a pair of blue, snowflake-shaped hairpins. She gave off an air of uncertainty, as though she wasn't entirely sure of herself. While that wasn't exactly a good sign, Sasuke reserved his judgement for time being.

The third seemed to certainly be a Quincy, as he was currently in the distance target practicing with a traditional reishi bow.

The fourth was the one that took his interest the most, as his Reiatsu was easily the most intense and powerful of the three. It was still pitiful, but it was beyond the others by a vast margin. He was wearing a plain-looking Shinigami shihakusho, with a rather basic, yet quite massive Zanpakuto resting upon his back. He could only assume that the boy had yet to discover Shikai.

But beyond power, he noticed something that sent a pulse of phantom hatred through his heart, one that he snuffed out almost immediately. His image reminded him of someone he could never forget, someone who's determination and stubbornness had brought him further than anyone had ever expected. One who's desire to achieve his goals superseded everything, and triumphed over all odds.

For just an instant, he thought was looking at Naruto.

But there was more to this boy than that, a certain sense of focus and resilience that Naruto had never displayed. He was young, and weak, but that look in his eyes told Sasuke that this boy would overcome any obstacle, defeat any enemy, in order to reach his goal. He would never submit, and he would never accept failure.

Before he could stop it, Sasuke felt his lips turned upward into a smirk.

 _Kurosaki, hm?_

Feeling a spark of inspiration, his flashed forward in a burst of raw speed, definitely far beyond what the boy could track, and was mere feet away in an instant, studying the boy's resolve.

Kurosaki's eyes widened, and he took a cautionary step backward, drawing his oversized Zanpakuto as though he thought it would help. The fact that the boy hadn't actually shown any fear was surprising to Sasuke, especially given his lack of experience. He flicked his eyes to the left, addressing Urahara, "He's not bad, but he's got a long way to go until he's ready." He paused, looking the boy over once more before turning to face Kisuke fully.

"How long have you been training him?" To his surprise, it was actually the boy who answered, his voice showing his mild anger at being put aside.

"My _name_ is Ichigo Kurosaki, and I'd appreciate it if you could avoid talking about me like I'm not even here." Alright, then. They'd do things his way. He let out a small huff, then turned to look at him, "Alright, _Kurosaki_ , how long have you had your powers?"

The boy thought for a moment, obviously struggling to remember a specific number. He shrugged, "Couple of weeks? I dunno, didn't think I'd have to keep track." There was a layer of sarcasm that Sasuke hadn't missed. "I ask because of two things: First, knowing would help me figure out where you stand as far as growth, seeing as we're relatively short on time. Secondly, I wanted to see if you had the experience to actually stand a chance." He paused, taking a serious measure of the boy, "You don't."

That seemed to upset Kurosaki somewhat, as he tensed in irritation for moment. "What would you know? Up until just now, you've been comatose, freeloading in Kis-" Sasuke was on him in an instant, his hand hovering less than an inch away from the boy's throat, a look of annoyance in his eyes. The young Shinigami managed not to flinch, if only by sheer force of will. However, the look of abject fear in his eyes told Sasuke that he understood that he'd crossed a line.

"You know nothing, Kurosaki. Nothing." He barely managed to stop himself, jerking his hand from Kurosaki's throat. It would have been so _easy_ , barely even a twitch of his muscles would have been enough to tear the boy's throat out. And for some reason, he _wanted_ to. The urge of violence was something he was used to, his Hollow always pushed for him to draw blood, but this was different. He knew the difference between the bloodlust of his Inner Hollow and his own desires. This was _him._

He felt a powerful flash of anger, one that nearly drove him to lash out, but he quelled it. The urge was so _strong_ , he could barely distinguish it from his own feelings.

 _"Sasuke. They_ are _yours. Calm down."_ She was right, and he didn't understand how. He'd never even met this boy before, why would he want to murder him? It didn't matter, he couldn't afford to slip up like this, no so early into his recovery. Whatever it was about Kurosaki, he would have to learn to deal with it. It was either that, or crumble. And he could _not_ afford to crumble yet. He had too many people counting on him keeping his shit together.

He turned away from the boy, and Kisuke's eyes were tracking his every movement with deadly focus. He _knew_. Sasuke didn't know how, but that damned Shinigami _knew_ how close he'd been to outright killing Kurosaki. "Sasuke, I'd appreciate it if you would avoid scaring my pupil shitless. It was hard enough to get him to accept help in first place, I do _not_ need you giving him a reason to cut and run." He gave a pointed look, one that Sasuke understood loud and clear.

'Don't fuck with my student.'

He gave a stiff nod, before glancing over to the other two humans, who looked more than a little disturbed. He brushed off their concern, looking back at Kisuke, "Understood." He didn't like that his first impression was that of a rabid dog, but he'd have to settle for what was.

Kisuke suddenly smiled, once again throwing Sasuke for a loop as he laid a hand upon his shoulder. He gestured wide with his other arm, obviously trying to grab the three's attention while changing the mood that had settled over the training area. To Sasuke's surprise, it worked.

"Alright, I guess it'd be a good idea to introduce my friend here. This is Sasuke Uchiha, he's going to be overseeing Kurosaki-san's little escapade into Soul Society with all of you." That was news. He'd have preferred for Urahara to actually give him a choice in the matter, but he would have agreed to it anyway.

 _"The ambient energy in Soul Society is going to be good for us, both physically and mentally. So long as we just avoid anything to do with Aizen, we should be alright. Oh, and I think it would be good to touch bases with Yamamoto, if we get the chance."_

 _"It's a plan, then."_

He decided to simply give the man a dirty look, before playing along, "Yeah. That also means that I'm going to assist in all of your training from this point forward, one session a week for each of you, seeing as your leaving in a month." He was not going to let them die in the event that his comrades personal training style proved ineffective. They were already in over they heads by several miles, they'd better make the most out of it.

His eyes flicked to Kisuke, daring him to try and say otherwise. Their eyes only met for an instant, and even then he could tell that the shopkeeper wasn't going to bother. "Alright, that's fair. Just try to avoid breaking my wasteland, if ya don't mind?"

"Hn," He knew that Urahara wouldn't like that answer, but he was in a mood. He couldn't make any promises.

The Shinigami quieted for a moment, before a look of realization crossed his eyes. "Ah, before I leave you to it, I need to speak with you. Privately." Sasuke narrowed his brow at the request, but followed regardless. They both stepped into a small Shunpo, moving out of earshot.

Sasuke crossed his arms, still slightly miffed from his outburst earlier. "Alright, Urahara, what did you need?" The man seemed to stall for a few seconds, possibly figuring out how to articulate his message.

"Well, normally I'd have handled this the moment you woke up, but I'm afraid circumstances prevented that. When you went after Aizen, I was forced to make several extremely sensitive assumptions, all of which directly affected you. Have you noticed anything abnormal about your Reiatsu compared to before?" Sasuke thought about the question, and the more he did so, the more he realised just how different his pool of Reiatsu was.

When he'd startled Kensei earlier, it hadn't even occurred to him how _off_ that moment had been. He was so used to being leagues above his peers while using either his eyes or his blade, he'd completely forgotten the fact that in his natural state, he was only supposed to be as powerful as a Lieutenant when not pushing himself. Kensei should have been able to track him _easily_ , yet Sasuke had completely blitzed him without even _meaning_ to. He hadn't even used Shunpo, it'd just... happened.

"Yes, why?" He asked, now genuinely concerned. Just what had happened to him, exactly?

Kisuke drew a small breath, "While you were unconscious, Tessai and I tasked ourselves with finding a way to isolate and seal off a large portion of your Reiatsu, in the event that you woke up in a manic state. You must understand, without such precautions we wouldn't even have stood a chance of slowing you down." He reasoned, though Sasuke couldn't blame him in the slightest. Hell, it was just barely shy of being exactly that situation, if his Zanpakuto wasn't there to keep him at least a little sane.

He wasn't under any delusions. His mind was not sound in the slightest, and that made him dangerous.

"I don't blame you, but please, continue." This wasn't what he was concerned with at the moment. He needed to know where that speed came from, so that he could start figuring out how to tone it down. Kisuke resumed, cutting his own thoughts short.

"We thought that we'd succeeded, for a while. We separated your Hollow and Shinigami portions, and then isolated them. We placed a physical medium on your body, so you could lift the seal when you were of sound mind, but the sheer intensity of your Reiatsu burned away pretty much any reishi matter that touched you for too long. I think you were running at 100% that whole time, nothing else would explain it. It also explains where our problem came from, now that I think about it." He mused, running a hand through his hair as he thought. "Anyway, when that seal burned away, your different Reiatsu types didn't just equalize again, like we thought it would. They mixed. I have no idea how, but your Hollow and Shinigami energies diluted into each other and became a single pool. Once that happened, any time we touched you with any form of solid matter, it was like trying to touch a star with an ice cube. Anything we tried, your Soul just burned it away like it was kindling. Obviously that isn't the case now, but I think that's just because your actually conscious of your own power output." He finished, but several things were already racing through Sasuke's mind.

 _We were going full throttle the whole time? For however many decades I've been asleep, we haven't let up once?_

 _"That certainly explains our fragile Soul. Even for us, burning at the peak of our power for an unchecked amount of time was bound to leave your body damaged."_

 _I thought that our fragility was due to my own mental issues?_

 _"More of a mix, but that's the one that troubles me the most. You've dealt with far worse physical handicaps in the past, but a handicap of the mind is one not easily recovered from."_

Turning his focus back to the present, he levelled a steady look at Urahara.

"So what does this mean for my Zanpakuto, or my Hollow?" He asked, feeling slightly worried for a moment. Kisuke responded immediately, "Probably nothing, if I'm being honest. Your Hollow was dormant at the time, so his representation in your Inner World is probably unaffected."

"Alright, what about me? What effect does my Reiatsu melding together have on how I use it?"

Again, Kisuke's answer was quick, "That depends on which side of your power your talking about. As far as your Shinigami abilities are concerned, they shouldn't be altered that much. I can't give you anything specific, because I haven't seen this situation before, but I imagine that your powers are going to be much more natural for you in the future. As for your Hollow side, I have absolutely no idea how it was affected by the mixture. Though, do let me in on some specifics once you understand it a bit better yourself, hm?" The man shifted his gaze, looking over Sasuke's shoulder for a moment, before snapping back to him.

"By the way, I may need you to do more than just 'assist' Ichigo and his friends. You don't need me to tell you that those kids have potential, but I need to get back to my research. I doubt we're going to last long enough to meet again if I don't make some headway in tracking the Arrancar. I trust you to do exactly what's going to benefit them the most, even in situation where I might not have it in me to give them a shove in the best direction." Sasuke couldn't help but feel a flicker of annoyance, though he tossed it aside just as quickly as it had arisen.

"I'd request a bit of help from Yoruichi, if she's willing."

"Of course, I wouldn't expect you to train four complete novices without some sort of assistance. She'll be mostly working with Sado and Orihime, but if you need any help with the other two I'm sure she'd be happy to help. Reio knows she needs _something_ to help distract her." The way Kisuke worded that caught Sasuke surprise. "What do you mean?" He asked, he knew that Yoruichi had changed, and that she didn't like speaking on the past, but the way that Kisuke had phrased it had almost sounded like... pity? Urahara's jaw clenched tight for a moment, his eyes wandering from Sasuke's charcoal orbs for just an instant before they settled upon him again.

"I'm sure you heard about Aikawa and Hiyori?" After a quick nod, Kisuke continued, "She was the one leading that patrol when the Arrancar ambushed them. There wasn't a fight, it was a massacre, and the only reason any of the Visored are alive is because she ran. I'm sure they omitted the fact that _all_ of them were there, and they couldn't do anything. That Arrancar was _powerful_ , and it was absolutely sadistic. You noticed the scars they all have? Well, about 70% of those were inflicted by the same Arrancar. We were weak, and determination didn't save us. You see this?" He pointed to a small, circular scar located directly where his heart was. "That nearly killed me, bypassed all of my Reiatsu and shot clean through. Only reason I lived was thanks to Tessai, and all I did was attempt to use my Bankai. The Arrancar saw right through it, put me out of commission before I could even do anything about it." His voice dropped, now a bitter hiss, "That was pathetic compared to what it did to the others. We all suffered that day, Sasuke, and she blames herself for all of it." At this point Urahara had dropped to little more than a whisper, wary of Yoruichi's potent hearing.

 _That... explains a few things._ He wasn't sure what else to think, or say. And it seemed his Zanpakuto was just as floored. She didn't speak, but he could feel her horror even without her trying to show it to him.

"I..." He tried, but he simply couldn't find the words. However, before he could try again, Kisuke cut in, "It's alright. We've all had a while to get past it, Yoruichi just tends to get a bit down whenever it comes up. If it does, just remember that _I_ didn't say a word to you about this. I'm only telling you in the first place because I know the two of you were fairly good friends." Sasuke nodded, thankful that he didn't need to articulate how he felt about what he'd learned so soon.

Kisuke let out a breath, one that Sasuke had little doubt he'd been holding in for nearly their entire conversation. "Well, I'd better get back to the lab. Make them strong, Sasuke. We're going to need their help _very_ soon." With that, the shopkeeper stepped once more into Shunpo, vanishing from the training ground entirely.

 _"Remember, Sasuke, do not linger on things that are beyond your control. Focus on what you **can** change, focus on preparing those children for the battles to come."_

He drew in a deep, soothing breath, feeling all of his stress and negativity fall to the side as his focus sharpened. He let the oxygen sit for a moment, just basking in the moment of absolute silence and calm.

 _Right._

* * *

 _ **Sorry for the abrupt ending, but this chapter went on waay longer than I thought it would.**_

 _ **So, here's our first look into the butterfly effect that Sasuke has put into motion, along with his first meeting with Ichigo, which went... okay? I guess?Before anyone makes a big deal out of it, please remember that Ichigo being slightly insensitive isn't out of character for the alternate history surrounding his upbringing in this story.**_

 _ **Originally, yes, this would be slightly odd, but this is a slightly different Ichigo, one that was brought up in a town that was attacked every week or two by powerful Hollows, which down the line became Arrancar. He's never known a life that didn't involve the afterlife, unlike in canon, this means he's going to be at least somewhat desensitized to certain situations.**_

 _ **Of course, he's still Ichigo, on a fundamental level, but different circumstances lead to a less idealistic result.**_

 _ **Moving on, I hope my explanation of Sasuke situation made at least a tiny bit of sense. I was originally just gonna go with the seal shtick, but I found that upending expectations in that area could be quite interesting.**_

 _ **SPOILER WARNING: Essentially how his powers work now is like this: Basically, he has access to all of the power he had in Shikai/Masked, without having to actually undergo those changes. Now his only real reasons to use them are for the abilities they grant (i.e. Inazuma's Lightning, Cero, Bala, Hierro, Regen, Sonido, etc.) Which, of course, means that he's going to be using them less often. Don't mistake that for laziness, though, I did it that way specifically because of the fact that I was making Sasuke use his powers too often, most of the time only to buff his strength or speed, without actually giving those abilities the finesse and grace that they deserved. From now on, his powers are going to be utilized the way they should.**_

 _ **Please don't be afraid to let me know what you think, I put a lot of thought into this and I really hope you enjoy it.**_

 _ **Also, in case you hadn't read my AN in the last chapter, this story is going to get dark. Like, darker than the font I'm typing in right now kinda dark. So, in case any of you dislike that idea, I'm warning you now: BEGONE**_

 _ **Okay, sorry about the long AN, I'll kindly fuck off and get back to writing now.**_

 _ **Buh-Bye!**_


	20. First Day In Hell

**_-Volume II: Strawberry and the Avenger-_**

 _Arc I, Chapter 2: First Day of Hell_

* * *

 ** _Ichigo Kurosaki_**

When he'd first seen Sasuke, Ichigo hadn't been sure what to think.

Initially, he'd seemed kind of like Uryu. But that illusion had shattered within seconds.

For one, Ichigo hadn't been able to track any of the guy's movements. It was like looking at someone who didn't even realise how quickly they were moving. He acted and spoke as though things were normal, but every tiny movement of Sasuke's body was nothing but a blur of absurdly fast motion.

Two, the bastard had nearly tried to kill him after a single conversation. Ichigo wasn't exactly sure why he'd reacted so severely, but it had been terrifying. For the few short seconds that Sasuke had let his hand hover over his throat, it had felt like an ocean had suddenly crashed down upon his shoulders. Ichigo knew that he was fairly weak, at least compared to most ranked Shinigami, but this was ludicrous. He'd felt Reiatsu before, he knew what it was like to feel another's spiritual pressure. This was completely different. It wasn't _pressure_ , it was like he was immersed in the depths of something so gargantuan that he couldn't even comprehend its full magnitude. So, naturally, it had shut him up in an instant.

And after that, Kisuke had decided to let that _monster_ of a Shinigami take over their training. Ichigo had been furious. That Kisuke would even consider letting Sasuke within a _mile_ of Orihime or Chad was absurd. The guy could probably sneeze and kill both of them. But, thankfully, it seemed as though Yoruichi would be handling the two of them, while Sasuke would be working with himself and Uryu. If he was being honest, he was kind of glad that he'd be fighting someone other than Kisuke. At least this guy wouldn't try to _actually_ kill him.

"First off, I want to see your stance. You'll never get anywhere in a fight without a good starting position." His new mentor's voice ordered, and after letting out a breath, he did. He squared his shoulders, sliding his feet into a traditional Kendo stance. It wasn't the same as the one Kisuke had shown him, but it had worked well enough so far. He reached for his Zanpakuto, drawing the blade and bracing it in front of him. Sasuke walked closer, eyeing the stance with a critical eye. Before he could react, pain exploded in his jaw as the Shinigami's finger made contact with his chin. There wasn't even a chance for him to stay grounded, the flick sent him flying backward head over heel for several yards before he finally hit the ground again, his feet digging into the dirt as he righted himself. The second he realised that Sasuke wasn't still attacking, his hand flew to his jaw, and a growl escaped his lips as he attempted to fight through the pain.

"You need to start looking for something that works better for your blade. That Zanpakuto is much larger than average, and so its weight is going to affect your fighting style. If you keep using such lax defenses you'll die before you ever get to Seireitei. The purpose of this lesson isn't to hurt you, it's to make you sharpen your defensive capabilities and help you react to targets immensely faster than you are." Sasuke said, once again crossing the distance between them faster than Ichigo could track. "Now, before we continue, I want to see how you handle that sword in offensive situations. Come at me with whatever you can, but don't get any hopes up. I wont let you land a strike unless you've earned it." He took several steps backward, once again too quickly for Ichigo to make out anything more than a blur, and raised a single hand. "Go."

Ichigo rushed forward, sprinting at full speed in hopes of getting a lucky hit in to start things off, but the effort was fruitless. Sasuke sidestepped the overhead strike with ease, before nonchalantly weaving around the flurry of slashes that Ichigo attempted to deliver as a follow-up. Ichigo had the distinct impression that he wouldn't be able to even make Sasuke defend himself anytime soon.

 _But I'll be damned if I don't try._

And so he did, his Zanpakuto cleaving through the air in a frenzy as he attempting to make the elder Shinigami do something, _anything_ other than flawlessly dodge his every assault.

He hadn't been at it much longer, maybe a couple of minutes, before Sasuke's approach to the fight changed dramatically. As Ichigo attempted to leap into the air in an effort to split his mentor in twine, the Shinigami phased out of sight completely, and before Ichigo could even look away from his afterimage, his right side caught fire as he felt Sasuke's knee slam into his ribcage mid-air. Saliva flew from his lips as his momentum was overridden by the force of his attacker's blow, and his body was thrown to the ground violently.

This time, however, he was prepared. As he body hit the ground, he drove his left hand into the dirt in order to gain control of his own weight, and rotated his momentum to push off of the rocks with his feet, catapulting himself in Sasuke's direction once more, this time staying low before wrenching his sword skyward with all of the speed he could muster.

For the first time since they'd started, Sasuke's expression changed. Up until now, he'd been completely focused, his eyes flicked around as he analyzed every single action Ichigo made. Now he noticed that Sasuke was actually smirking slightly, but he didn't let that change stop his assault, driving his blade upward.

Sasuke reached out with a single hand, closed in a fist, and extended his index finger, moving it in front of Ichigo's Zanpakuto before the latter could think to stop himself. The razor edge of Ichigo's Zanpakuto slamming into the digit with enough force to cause a burst of disturbed air around them, kicking up small rocks and throwing them away from the two. In that instant, Ichigo was absolutely positive that he just accidentally lopped off his teacher's finger in an unexpected burst of power.

To his bewilderment, the massive blow didn't even manage to make it through Sasuke's skin. It simply rested against the appendage now that all of its kinetic energy was gone. He couldn't help but stare, his jaw trying to piece together something to say, but nothing would come out.

"I assume you've never seen something like this?" Sasuke questioned, letting his arm drop to the side. Ichigo nodded, still slightly dumbfounded. "Then I'll explain it to you once. When two Reiatsu signatures clash, the result depends on the difference in their strength. What happened just now was the result of my Reiatsu completely nullifying you own. If I were similar in strength to you, then you would have been able to break the skin and cut off my finger. However, because I'm immensely more powerful than you are right now, I was able to snuff out whatever power you put into your attack. Don't worry, that doesn't mean that this will happen in Soul Society. But if it does, I'd recommend running away from that fight. No sense waging a battle that can't be won."

"And what? Just leave Rukia to die?" He growled. The idea of retreat was disgusting to him, especially with the stakes this high. Running away would be a guaranteed death sentence for her, and Ichigo would rather die that let that happen. Sasuke didn't seem at all bothered by his words. "If it's either that or let your friends be slaughtered instead, which are you going to choose? The real world isn't forgiving, Kurosaki. You're going to have to make impossible decisions in battle, because no matter how powerful you become, you'll never be strong enough to protect _everyone_."

That stirred up a fire in Ichigo. Anger boiled in his heart as he responded, his eyes set in a gaze of utter determination, "Then I'll keep trying until I'm strong enough to prove you _wrong_. I _will_ protect the people I care about, even if it means sacrificing myself in the end, I won't let them die!" He yelled, exploding forward as his frustration dredged up previously untapped wells of Reiatsu. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he noticed the change, and just as Ichigo was about to bring down his Zanpakuto upon the Shinigami's shoulder, he vanished from sight.

Just as Ichigo was about to adjust, a familiar pain spread across his body, Sasuke's geta dropping onto the back of his head with such force that his chin was slammed into the dirt before Ichigo could stop it. This time crimson liquid spewed from his mouth, as his teeth sank into his own tongue. His mentor's foot remained planted firmly atop his head, the hard edges of the geta pressing against his skull. He couldn't move, he could barely even breathe, but still he struggled to lift himself, to no avail. The pressure of Sasuke's foot was more than enough to render him completely immobile.

"Well, seems the two of you have more in common than I first thought," The words didn't make any sense to Ichigo. What did he have in common with who? "..the f-fuck are you tal- agh, shit!" His question was snuffed short as Sasuke suddenly pushed off of his skull like a stepping stone, the pressure increasing for an instant before the weight was gone entirely.

"Regardless, you see what anger and determination gets you in the face of impossible odds. Sure, that little tantrum may have been enough to overwhelm, say, a Seated Officer, but it wouldn't have made the slightest difference against a more powerful and experienced foe. You're going to be weaker than any Captain when you reach Seireitei, no matter what you might believe. It's simply impossible for you to get stronger than that in a measly three weeks. However, that also means that most of them will leave you for the lower ranked Shinigami to deal with. Captains are, in my experience, extremely honorable and privileged. If they can avoid bothering with a lowly _ryoka_ like you, they will." He explained, his voice mostly monotone. His eyes flicked down to meet Ichigo's. "And you're going to want to accept their generosity. If a Captain sets their sights on you early, you'll most likely die."

Ichigo couldn't really say anything in turn. Every word that Sasuke spoke was the brutal truth, whether he wanted to believe it or not. After all, Kisuke had told him the exact same thing when they'd first talked about invading Soul Society. The fact that there were so many people that would tear him apart in a real fight was... concerning, naturally.

"But, they won't be what you want to worry about. In fact, they barely even factor into your invasion attempt at all." _That_ , however, caught him by surprise. "The hell do you mean, 'not a factor'? They're the best Soul Society has, aren't they?" He asked, trying to figure what Sasuke meant. It was hard to speak clearly, with his tongue messed up, but he'd live.

"Realistically you _might_ have to fight one Captain, and even then it isn't likely to be an older Captain such as Kyoraku or Unohana. They'll probably be recent additions, Shinigami I've never met. Normally I'd say to be careful because of that, but it genuinely doesn't affect the plan unless one of you dies. In that case, I'll get involved myself." Sasuke reached to his back, his hand resting upon the hilt of his own Zanpakuto. "There is only one person in Seireitei that _cannot_ be involved. If he makes a move, I'm taking all of you back to the Realm of the Living immediately."

Ichigo furrowed his brow, now stricken with cautious curiosity. "And who's _that_ , exactly?"

Sasuke drew in a deep breath, "A Shinigami by the name of Sosuke Aizen. The last time I saw him, he was still a Lieutenant. That may have changed over the years, but I've little doubt he's been preparing for my return." Ichigo felt Sasuke's Reiatsu suddenly flare up, causing sweat to form on his forehead. "Why is he such a big deal? Kisuke didn't even mention him."

"Aizen's threat is not in his physical prowess. If that were the case I would have killed him a long time ago. No, the problem lies with his _mind._ That man is terrifyingly intelligent, to such a degree that he's managed to completely outplay Soul Society time and time again. If he gets involved, the entire mission was a setup, and we're going to leave immediately, no matter what the circumstance. Pray you manage to save this 'Rukia' before that happens." It was blunt, but it sounded like Sasuke was being deadly serious.

"Alright, guess that means I'll have to make things quick, huh?"

"Yes, and it also means that we can't afford to sit around and talk all day. Get up, we're going to keep working on your defenses." He ordered back, and Ichigo complied, shoving himself to his feet with a huff.

And the torture continued.

* * *

 ** _Two hours later, with Uryu Ishida_**

He'd been training for a few hours at this point, with one eye sometimes wandering to where Kurosaki was currently getting the complete and utter shit kicked out of him. It didn't exactly comfort him that, almost every time he did so, the raven-haired Shinigami responsible would meet his gaze with an indifferent stare. It spoke volumes about his awareness, and just how little effort he was putting into _shredding_ the poor substitute.

Though at the very same time, Uryu noticed just how specific each strike was. This 'Sasuke' was being exceptionally careful not to break Kurosaki beyond repair, even without taking the fight seriously. Ishida could respect that kind of restraint.

But, that didn't mean he wanted _anything_ to do with the Shinigami.

"Idle thought isn't going to make you stronger." A voice caught him in the midst of his thoughts, and he snapped his head towards the source. To his genuine surprise, Sasuke was somehow standing directly in front of him. He looked back to where Ichigo had been training, only to see a battered Kurosaki sitting against a boulder, receiving healing from Orihime.

"Kurosaki will be fine. I've been observing your training, and it's become clear to me that you have several issue that need to be addressed." He stated, rather bluntly.

While he'd normally object to such a remark, Ishida couldn't help but find himself curious. Just what could he have noticed, given all of the distance between them? "Alright, let's hear it."

"First of all, you're focusing too much on rapidly firing as many projectiles as possible, as opposed to maximizing the strength of each individual arrow. You should be using your natural speed to out maneuver your opponents, and ending the fight in a single, well placed shot. Firing a hundred arrows in an instant won't mean anything if those arrows are too weak to pierce a Captain's skin." He explained, "And honestly, as they are, those would do little more than polish their chin."

Uryu's instinct roared as the Shinigami before him rushed forward, and he was forced to throw himself to the side. A sloppy, desperate dodge, but it'd been every ounce of the Quincy's Reiatsu just to escape. He ripped his head back to look at Sasuke, who was standing where he had just a second ago. He gave Uryu an amused look.

"Good. Seems I was right about your speed, after all. Kurosaki would have been hit just then. In that case, we'll be dedicating your time to refining your speed, and reducing the time it takes you to draw power to your attacks." His tone was final, certain.

Uryu could only heave his chest, shallow breathes escaping his lungs as his heartrate began to slow. His eyes drifted upward slightly, meeting Sasuke's charcoal orbs for the first time.

It was like looking into a black hole. He could literally _feel_ the Shinigami absorbing all of the information he could, meticulously digesting each piece at a speed that Uryu couldn't fathom before shelving it away just as quickly. His mind was filtering through ideas and organizing chains of thought like a fucking super-computer.

Sasuke's eyes refocused, though Uryu could only guess as to why, before the raven-haired Shinigami spoke, and his words sent a shiver of horror up the Quincy's spine.

"Physical training begins now."

Just what sort of beast had they been left with?

A groan escaped his lips.

"Of course,"

And so his torture began.

* * *

 ** _Hello! Sorry it's been so long, I've been busy working on my second attempt at a RWBY oriented fic for a while, ironing out some kinks and what-not. Expect the first chapter to be up within a few days, if not sooner._**

 ** _So I know that not much actually happened here, but this training arc is going to be where most of my big changes to the main cast are going to happen. It's probably going to be around 3 to 4 chapters of development and interaction, with some more important moments sprinkled throughout. After that, the big shit starts happening, I promise._**

 ** _Buh-Bye!!!_**


	21. Roadblock

**_-Volume II: Strawberry and the Avenger-_**

 _Arc 1, Chapter 3: Roadblock_

* * *

 ** _Two Days Later..._**

It was quite difficult, Ichigo had discovered, to keep track of time during battle. Easy to let himself slip into a violence infused daze, and lose grip on his own technique. Especially when constant defeat drove him to the edge of his temper, time and time again. However, during the pain, and the blood, and sweat, he had begun to find small ways of keeping himself focused.

The first of which, had been counting each second of combat. This was not easy, nor was it enjoyable in any regard, but it did succeed in keeping his mind more focused on the present. It made sure he never lost himself to the fight. And, because of that, he found himself improving rapidly, noticing his own weaknesses and taking steps to correct them in real time without having to pause and think too deeply.

Within a couple of days, he'd managed to completely re-create his Zanjutsu style from the ground up. From his opening stance, to advanced swordplay that his mentor had picked apart and rebuilt to the extreme.

Needless to say, he hadn't slept at all.

He wasn't alone, thankfully. Uryu was being broken down and rebuilt in equal measure, his old rapid-fire fighting style thrown out and replaced by a more conserved, evasive method of battle. They'd made progress in nearly equal strides, and Ichigo wasn't exactly sure who was stronger anymore.

On one hand, Uryu had gotten _fast_ , enough so to reliably dodge Sasuke's attacks and counter in most cases, only failing to do so when the Shinigami would decide to turn up the heat. Ichigo couldn't say in confidence that he'd be able to do the same.

On the other, he had improved on his swordsmanship in very particular ways, built around tanking hits and outlasting his opponent until the opportunity to either counter or escape arose. By now he could comfortably deflect up to ten strikes per second, so long as his foe didn't get too creative. And, in turn, he _knew_ that Uryu was nothing if not clever.

His body shook slightly, a flare of pain spreading across his body as his wounds healed completely, even scar tissue being restored to it's original state. The orange hue which surrounded him dissipated, the face of Inoue greeting him with a wide smile.

"All done, Ichi!" He had to admit, he wasn't the biggest fan of nicknames. Well, aside from Yuzu and Karin, but they were different. Not that he disliked Orihime, he simply didn't understand why she was _this_ persistent in coming along. She barely knew Rukia. In fact, she barely _really_ knew him.

"Alright, thanks, Orihime." He replied, his focus immediately shifting as he shoved himself to his feet. His eye flicked over to Uryu and Sasuke, quickly noticing that the Quincy was almost completely exhausted. His movements were sluggish, his use of Reishi too clumsy. And, for each mistake, Sasuke would punish him with unyielding brutality. Just as the Shinigami's geta slammed into Uryu's jaw, Ichigo couldn't help but feel a sense of pity dawn on him.

Not wasting another second, Ichigo began to sprint towards his mentor, funneling Reiatsu into his legs to amplify his speed. Within a few seconds he was on Sasuke, his Zanpakuto rising at a diagonal angle in an attempt to catch him off guard. Of course, the Shinigami took notice, swinging his body at an extreme angle, slinging his leg in a concise arc to meet the slash perfectly. He held the two of them in place for a moment, a hand gripping Ishida in a painful armlock, while never letting up on the pressure his leg applied to Ichigo's blade. He was able to notice Sasuke smirk slightly, before his world sudden became a blur of motion before slamming into the dirt roughly. He lay there a moment, catching his breath, before jumping to his feet.

Uryu was in a similar state, though he could tell that the Quincy was extremely close to collapsing.

 _"Heed this well, you two,"_ Sasuke's words echoed through his mind. _"No matter how bleak things seem, no matter how exhausted and battered you become, never submit. Until the very flesh is st_ _ripped from your bones, victory **is**_ _possible when escape is not."_ Right.

"Ishida!" He shouted, the boy's attention snapping to him.

"Can you keep going?" There was no pause.

"Yes, Kurosaki. Now focus on yourself!" Ichigo was barely able to raise his guard in time to block a violent left hook, before deftly shifting his blade in a practiced sequence to deflect the series of strikes that followed, never allowing his arms to overextend. His wrists spun like windmills, and while he managed to save himself from taking any hits, the constant pressure was beginning to force him back, taking small steps to keep Sasuke outside of his range.

All the while, he noticed that Uryu was using the Quincy high-speed movement technique to circle the two of them like a vulture, firing intense bolts of Reishi at every opportunity, which Sasuke would somehow predict and either dodge or outright _catch_ each time. Ichigo knew that this wouldn't last long, and his prediction was proven true when his mentor's speed suddenly intensified, quickly devouring what little space he had left before batting his Zanpakuto to the side, tearing into Ichigo's torso with a calculated barrage of punches.

The assault only halted when Uryu fired another shot, causing Sasuke to throw himself into a brief spin to kick the arrow aside. Ichigo sensed an opportunity, and reaffirmed his grip on his Zanpakuto, rushing forward and shoving the Shinigami off-balance with his shoulder before thrusting his blade in a controlled stab.

For the first time, he managed to make contact with Sasuke's body. Sparks flew as his blade scraped against the Shinigami's iron skin, and he was just able to retract from the attack in time to deflect Sasuke's counter, but before he could react he felt the cold sting of a blade resting against his throat.

"Not bad, Kurosaki. I'm surprised you were able to capitalize on that opening so well." It was the first thing Sasuke had said to him that could be considered actual praise. And, honestly, Ichigo was rather proud of it.

"Thanks, but Uryu gave me the opening in the first place. If anything he should get the credit for that." He noticed an odd look cross the Quincy's face, but he didn't speak up. Sasuke took a couple of steps back, sheathing his Zanpakuto faster than Ichigo could actually see, and turned to face both of them.

"That was an excellent display of teamwork between you, but it's time to change priorities. You've each managed to rebuild your respective combat styles to ideal levels, and in my opinion you should at least be able to _survive_ a Captain-class encounter. " He sounded rather certain, and again, Ichigo felt a well of pride bubble up within him.

"That being said, you should have plenty of time to focus purely on becoming more powerful. For example, Kurosaki, from this point forward we'll be dedicating your time to meditative Jinzen training, in hopes that you might unlock Shikai." The feeling in Ichigo's chest flipped in on itself, shock and excitement bursting through his veins at the prospect of becoming even stronger.

"And you," Sasuke pointed toward Ishida, who gave the man a curious look. "Will start looking into more advanced Quincy techniques. If there is some form of progression in Quincy strength, I do not know it. If you wish to spar and hone your skills, simply ask. Other than that, your training is your own from this point forward, understood?" Uryu looked as if he were taken aback, but soon swallowed that response in favor of a stiff nod. "Understood." He grumbled.

"Good, then I suggest you get to work. Those who fail to keep up will be left behind." With that, Uryu walked off toward where Yoruichi was busy training Inoue and Chad. He felt slightly sorry for the Quincy, being left to his own devices and all, but Sasuke was right. He'd learned just about everything that Sasuke could actually teach him.

"Kurosaki, focus. You still have much more to learn here." His mentor's words jerked Ichigo's focus back to himself, but before he could take a combat stance, Sasuke held out a palm.

"This will not be live training. You're going to learn how to tap into your Inner World. I want you to lay your blade across your lap, first." The revelation caught him off guard, and he hesitated a moment before sinking down into a seated position. With practiced ease he slid his massive Zanpakuto through his hands, the cold metal chilling skin as he laid it across his legs. He took a brief moment to look the blade over contemplatively.

 _This is my Zanpakuto. The instrument with which I protect. If not for this sword, I'd still just be a helpless teenager. If not for her..._

"Focus, Kurosaki. Right now the phsyical vessel your sword exists in shouldn't be what you focus on. I want you to envision yourself floating on the surface of an ocean. You should feel as though all emotion has drained away and has left only a sea of apathy. Now, allow yourself to sink into the world behind you. Immerse yourself into it, and accept it's embrace." The Shinigami's eyes flicked open, and just as he'd hoped, the boy had already fallen into a deep meditation.

 _Now, let us hope you come out strong enough for it to matter._

 _"Have faith, Sasuke. The boy will not accept anything short of success."_

 _It isn't him, specifically. Aizen supposedly caused a set of circumstances that led to Kurosaki becoming a natural hybrid. That means that he did so with a purpose. That purpose is troubling me._

* * *

 ** _Meanwhile, with Ichigo..._** "and accept it's embrace."

In that instant, Ichigo felt himself begin to fall. Not the sinking sensation that his mentor had described, but a vice that trapped his voice and dragged him into the blackness. His feet hit solid ground, and immediately he scanned his surroundings.

At first, the landscape around him had seemed... impossible. But the more he looked, the more real it became. They were skyscrapers. Enormous building that stretched on forever in both directions. Some even branched and turned out at odd angles that only furthered his confusion.

And, to cap it all off, he was standing on the _side_ of one.

 _"Ichigo."_

A voice he didn't recognize, deep and commanding. He turned to check his back, only for a blade twice the size of his own to rest against his throat. A strange, off-pitch giggle turned his hairs on end. He looked up from the sword, and for a moment he thought he was looking into some kind of fucked up mirror.

His attacker was, literally, a monochrome version of himself, with piercing golden eyes narrowed in a furious stare, one that revealed black teeth and a blue tongue as its lips parted. It only took another second for him to notice the circular hole that peeked from beneath his white shihakusho.

 _"I appreciate the eagerness, kid, but there's shit for you to take care of before you can come here. Now, **leave.** "_

Without another moment wasted, his inverted double raised a pale hand, a wave of nausea overcoming him before he suddenly snapped back to reality.

* * *

 ** _Hello again! Sorry for the delay, but this chapter has been fighting me a lot. That RWBY story should be up by the end of the week._**

 ** _So, I know some people are going to be very confused as to how both Ichigo and Uryu managed to get so much done within two day, but do remember that Sasuke is basically drilling them into the ground, having Inoue heal them, and then having them apply what they learned in the next fight, and repeating that until they work out something that works. Ichigo was too focused on offence, and Uryu was too preoccupied trying to increase his shots per second instead of picking moments to unleash potentially deadly arrows._**

 ** _And about the ending, I wonder if any of you can guess where that's going?_**

 ** _That's all for now, Buh-Bye!!!!_**


End file.
